Our History
North Utility District of Rhea County was officially created December 21st, 1993, under the Utility District Law of 1937. The district was created with the guidance of our engineer, Bruce Spaulding.
The first board of commissioner meeting of North Utility District of Rhea County was held at Pine Grove Fire Department on Wednesday, February 9, 1994. Meetings were held at Pine Grove Fire Department until the current NUDRC office located at 23928 Rhea County Highway was opened in October 2012.
Through planning and hard work NUDRC began providing water in April of 1997 to approximately 200 customers including J.M. Huber Corporation. As of September 2023, our water lines front over 85% of the homes in the area providing clean drinking water to over 1,200 customers.
Our Service Area
North Utility District of Rhea County serves customers in the north end of Rhea County. Our Service area begins north of the city limits of the Town of Spring City and extends to Watts Bar Lake and runs to the Roane County line and includes the Roddy community.
Our Board of Commissioners
North Utility District of Rhea County is governed by a three-member Board of Commissioners; each commissioner is a current customer of the district.
Our Board of Commissioners is appointed by the Rhea County Executive to serve a four-year term and can be reappointed for multiple terms.
The Board of Commissioners is the governing body for the utility district, establishing policies, approving, and reviewing budgets, setting rates, and issuing ruling on customer concerns if needed.
The Board of Commissioners meets the 3rd Thursday of each month beginning at 4pm ET. The meeting is held at the NUDRC office located at 23928 Rhea County Highway Spring City, TN 37381.
Our Regulatory Oversight
North Utility District is governed by several federal, state, and local governmental agencies and organizations. Each of these establish criteria and performance standards and provide regulatory oversight, training, guidance, support, and licensing for our district.
Some of these entities are listed below:
United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)- This is a federal agency that sets water quality standards for water treatment and environmental compliance.
Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC) - This is a state agency that enforces minimal federal water quality standards as established by USEPA in addition to state water standards. The agency performs field compliance audits, laboratory and water treatment plant inspections and certifications, training, and certification for state licensed water operators.
State of Tennessee Comptroller’s Office- This is a state agency that establishes and enforces minimum financial performance criteria and standards for all Tennessee Utility Districts.
State of Tennessee Revenue Department- This entity provides tax enforcement. They provide oversight and audits of the collection and reporting of all sales tax collected through customer’s utility payments.
Tennessee Homeland Security and Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)- These agencies provide oversight of security and emergency planning and response readiness for Tennessee’s local utility providers.
