Kingston Springs residents question potential sewer sale to private utility as repair costs climb
Roughly 100 Kingston Springs residents filled the Activity Center at L.L. Burns Park on Wednesday night to question officials — and the only company offering to buy the town’s troubled sewer system — about what comes next for the aging infrastructure that serves about 750 people.
Central States Water Resources (CSWR), a Missouri-based private utility that owns and operates nearly 1,000 water and wastewater systems across the country, was the sole respondent to the town’s recent request for proposal to purchase its sewer system. Kingston Springs commissioners previously rejected a bid from the company in 2023.
The town’s wastewater system has been under state scrutiny for repeated environmental violations tied to deteriorating infrastructure, including leaking manholes and a damaged lagoon liner at the wastewater treatment facility. Kingston Springs is currently involved in an active lawsuit over those violations.
Officials estimate that bringing the system into compliance will cost $3.59 million, an amount that Mayor Todd Verhoven has said far exceeds the town’s financial capacity. In recent years, the town has raised sewer rates to cover repair costs and legal fees. A town spreadsheet projects those bills will continue to climb — reaching $206.03 per month for 4,000 gallons of service by 2032. For comparison, the average Tennessee sewer bill is about $66, according to Google data.
During Wednesday’s meeting, 15 residents spoke during public comment, voicing frustration over rising costs and skepticism about turning the system over to a private operator.
Representing CSWR, Assistant Vice President of Regulatory Operations and Customer Experience Aaron Silas answered questions from residents about how the company sets rates and manages its facilities. Silas said CSWR uses a flat monthly fee rather than usage-based billing, and that the average cost across the company’s roughly 1,000 systems nationwide “is not higher than $100.” He cited the company’s Grassland system in Williamson County, where the flat rate is about $75 per month.
The Grassland wastewater plant, located along the Harpeth River near Franklin, has drawn significant attention in recent years after repeated sewage spills and environmental violations. Operated by Limestone Water Utility Operating Company, a CSWR subsidiary, the facility has been fined multiple times for overflows into Cartwright Creek and the Harpeth River. State records and news reports show that between March and April of this year, roughly 250,000 gallons of untreated sewage spilled from the plant into local waterways. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has since required CSWR to submit and implement upgrade plans.
CSWR acquired the Grassland system in December 2021, and company officials have said they are investing in long-term repairs there.
During Wednesday's meeting, town officials said no decision has been made about whether to move forward with CSWR or pursue other funding options. The Board of Commissioners is expected to discuss public feedback and review upcoming project bids for manhole rehabilitation and lagoon repairs at its November meeting.
The Board meets on the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. All meetings are held in the Beck Meeting Hall, 420 North Main Street in downtown Kingston Springs.
