Tuesday, December 13, 2011 4:47 pm

Cannon County Executive Mike Gannon announced today the funding of a Community Development Block Grant for a water line extension for rural Cannon County.

The project began in the summer of 2007, Gannon said, when residents in the Basham Ridge and the Lake Anne areas of Cannon County petitioned him for help with their water needs.

Residents on Lake Anne Road, Basham Ridge Road and Finnie Simmons Road in Cannon County do not have access to clean, safe, potable drinking water. In 2007 and 2008, residents in the area were having to haul water because their wells and springs were dry as the result of a drought.

Access to safe, sanitary water will be a great asset to the residents of these areas, Gannon said.

After surveying the areas, it was determined they meet the low-to-moderate income requirements needed to apply for a Community Development Block Grant through the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Without CDBG funding, there was no financially feasible way for Cannon County to correct this life-threatening situation.

After the study of available water sources, it was determined the Woodbury Water Department was the most feasible connection point. In addition to serving the desperate rural families, this connection will allow Woodbury to connect two sections of its water lines on Finnie Simmons Road, enabling the town to better circulate its water, thereby improving its quality.

“There is a serious need for a safe, reliable source of potable water for the residents in each of these three areas of Cannon County,” Gannon said. “Cannon County is pleased to partner with the Town of Woodbury on this project and is proud to have the support of the Upper Cumberland Development District. This has been a long process, and I am proud to see it come to fruition.”

The total cost of the project is $317,600. The Town of Woodbury is funding $39,100. The CDBG grant is for $278,500. The Town of Woodbury will receive revenue from the new water and sewer customers.

“The Upper Cumberland Development District is happy to have been involved in the Cannon County waterline extension project. We support projects such as this throughout the Upper Cumberland,” Wendy Askins, Executive Director, Upper Cumberland Development District, said.

“The primary mission of our organization is to improve the quality of life throughout our 14-county area, and helping families gain access to clean water is in keeping with our mission; it’s what we’re all about. We appreciate the work of the State of Tennessee in the Upper Cumberland, and we’re glad to partner with the ECD on such meaningful projects,” Askins said.