CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The City of Clarksville provided a progress report on the city’s second water treatment plant, which is expected to be in production by mid-2025.

Mayor Joe Pitts and a group of city officials took to the site to see the progress that’s been made, and they were impressed, according to a news release from city spokesperson Jimmy Settle.

Shown from left at the construction site are: Mark Riggins, Clarksville Gas & Water, General Manager; Steve Sandlin, Judy Construction, Site Superintendent; Chris Lambert, Clarksville Water Operations Division Manager; James Halford, City of Clarksville, Chief of Staff; Joe Pitts, City of Clarksville, Mayor; Chris Cherry, Clarksville Assistant Water Operations Division Manager; and Randall Gillum, Clarksville Water Treatment Plant Assistant Manager. (Contributed by Jimmy Settle)

Early-stage structures are now visible at the construction site, which is at the end of Barge Point Road overlooking the Cumberland River.

As Clarksville’s population nears 177,000 people, the water treatment plant is being built to cope with the growth and provide the most basic of all needs to its residents, the release said.

Mark Riggins, general manager of Clarksville Gas and Water, said the project is a matter of public safety. Riggins thanked Judy Construction for their hard work and adaptability on the project.

Beams go up at the construction site of the water treatment plant’s granular-activated carbon building. (Contributed by Jimmy Settle)

“This new water treatment facility will serve our city’s growing needs and provide a much-needed secondary supply of clean water well into the future,” Pitts said. “This is the single-largest public project in our city’s history, in terms of total cost. I appreciate Mark Riggins and his Water Division team at Clarksville Gas and Water for showing great leadership in making this project a reality.”

Increasing cost

Funding for the project was approved by the City Council in 2021 and was estimated at around $138 million, according to previous reports. However, the estimated cost has since increased to $210 million, a difference of $72 million.

Clarksville Gas and Water spokesperson Rhonda Fulton said the original estimate was from an engineer’s perspective without a design plan or bid in place. Fulton also said construction costs have increased since COVID-19.

The plant is being paid for through a major revenue bond issue, supported by Pitts and the council.

What’s next

As the progress continues on the water treatment plant, construction will continue with its three phases, “with each phase having the capacity to generate 12 million gallons of water per day, for a total of 36 million gallons at final, full capacity,” says the news release.

The City of Clarksville only has one water treatment plant for the time being, located off Pumping Station Road and the U.S. Highway 41A Bypass. The plant has a daily water-generating capacity of 28 million gallons, while having the potential to generate 30 million gallons for short periods of time.