Scotts Hill seeks FEMA funds for 14 emergency water generators

A storm-driven outage in Scotts Hill can quickly become a water crisis, and the city is seeking FEMA money for 14 emergency generators to keep drinking water, sanitation and fire response from going down with the lights.

The project would protect a layered network of water facilities in both Decatur and Henderson counties, including the Bath Springs Pump Station, Bath Springs Well #1, the Bath Springs Water Treatment Plant and the Scotts Hill Water Treatment Plant. The notice also lists storage tanks and multiple wells, showing the plan is designed to keep the whole system moving, not just one backup source.

Among the sites named are Bath Springs Tank #3, Scotts Hill Tank #2 and Wells #3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15 and 16. Some of the equipment would need elevated platforms or flood-zone protections, and some wells would be converted from three-phase to single-phase systems, a sign of how much engineering work sits behind something as basic as turning on a tap.

The city has applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding through the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency as a sub-recipient. FEMA says the program is a post-disaster mitigation fund available after a presidentially declared disaster, and Tennessee Emergency Management says the money is meant to reduce or eliminate future risk to lives and property from natural hazards.

The notice also puts the project through the environmental review process required under federal law, including the National Environmental Policy Act, Executive Order 11988 and Executive Order 11990. FEMA’s generator guidance calls for environmental planning and historic-preservation documentation, and the Scotts Hill proposal notes two locations in Flood Zone AE.

For Decatur County, the stakes reach beyond one town line. Local utility listings identify Scotts Hill City Hall as a water and sewer contact, alongside Decaturville City Hall, Lexington Utilities, North Utility District and Perryville Utility District. A Decatur County Chamber utilities page says the county’s other areas are served by the Perryville Utility, North Utility and Scotts Hill-Bath Springs water districts, underscoring how much of rural life depends on a small number of systems staying online.

The generator request also fits into a longer run of water investment in Scotts Hill. In April 2023, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation announced a $2,230,909 grant for Phase I of water improvements in the city. The new FEMA application suggests the town is now trying to harden those earlier improvements against the next outage, flood or severe-weather hit.

Clayton Armstrong is listed as the contact for the project at 731-549-3175.