Division of Water Supply

 

  Guidance for Developing Community

  Water System Drought Management Plans

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation has developed a guidance document to provide community water systems with the necessary elements of a drought management plan. This guide is designed to promote and increase preparedness so that a drought’s adverse impacts would be mitigated. The guidance includes suggested drought management planning steps.

Click here to view Guidance for Developing Community Water System Drought Management Plans.

Drought Management Planning Workshop for Community Water Systems
The department’s Division of Water Supply also conducted an extensive workshop for community water systems on March 16, 2010 at Fleming Training Center to share how water systems plan for and go about providing drinking water during a drought with consideration given to:

• Customer Expectations
• Competition for Water Supplies
• Usage Trends
• Permits, Agreements and Statutes

The four sessions from this March 16, 2010 workshop are available here:

Session/Unit #1

Session/Unit #2

Session/Unit #3

Session/Unit #4

Drought Management Plan
The department has also released an updated Drought Management Plan reflecting our plan for water management during extended periods of below average rainfall and streamflow as a result of drought.  One of our departmental goals is to maximize the ability of our water resources to support all of its uses. This can be particularly challenging in the time of drought. However, history has shown that with effective management, proper planning and responsiveness, the impacts of a drought can be minimized.

This plan is an update to a drought management plan released in 1987. Its purpose is to outline TDEC’s role during a drought, to facilitate planning, and to provide a framework for action and cooperation in water resources management among the many local, state, and federal agencies with drought-related responsibilities. The plan, however, represents the state’s plan on drought management, since we serve as the lead state agency on drinking water and water quality issues. This plan outlines the resources that other state, federal and local entities can provide and the ways in which we can work together to lessen the impacts of a drought.

Click here to view the Drought Management Plan (updated February 2010).