It's not apartments! What's being built along the river? | Know Your Knox

Ryan Wilusz, Knoxville News Sentinel
Updated ·2 min read

Those are not new riverside apartments going up between the Tennessee River and Sevier Avenue adjacent to Holston Gases, and it has nothing to do with the Knoxville-based gas supplier, as one Know Your Knox reader suggested.

Instead the construction has to do with liquids − specifically, the kind of stuff you flush.

Strap in, readers. This could get a little gross.

The Knoxville Utilities Board has been working to build a new pump station at 1901 Jones St. near the western end of Sevier Avenue since 2017. Ever wonder what happens when your personal waste and toilet water spiral out of sight? This is it.

A pump station transfers wastewater to treatment plants, where it is then returned to the Tennessee River.

Construction continues July 25 along the river in South Knoxville, where KUB is building a new pump station to replace an existing one built in 1953. Construction is 80% complete and, once finished, the facility will be able to pump 15 million gallons of wastewater per day to the treatment plant on Neyland Drive.
Construction continues July 25 along the river in South Knoxville, where KUB is building a new pump station to replace an existing one built in 1953. Construction is 80% complete and, once finished, the facility will be able to pump 15 million gallons of wastewater per day to the treatment plant on Neyland Drive.

But doesn't my drinking water come from the Tennessee River?

Yes, but the treated wastewater is released downstream from where drinking water is siphoned. Not that it would matter either way, as the treated water is clean at the point of release − cleaner than the river water that enters the collection system, according to KUB.

Why does Knoxville need a new KUB pump station?

The new pump station is replacing the current one at 1701 Jones St. The current and the one under construction are the largest in KUB's system.

The new one could provide 15 million gallons − per day − to KUB's wastewater treatment plant at 2015 Neyland Drive.

"The existing station, built in 1953, is being replaced to serve future needs of the South Knoxville community," KUB spokesperson Gerald Witt told Knox News via email. "This will ensure continuous, efficient service for at least the next 50 years."

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When will KUB work wrap in South Knoxville?

This $16.4 million project began in 2017 with design, permitting and other preliminary work. Construction started in 2020, Witt said, and it is 80% complete.

Contractors install a roof at the construction site for a new KUB new pump station along the South Knoxville riverfront July 25, 2023. Construction is 80% complete, but electrical work, hydraulic systems testing and landscaping still needs to be done.
Contractors install a roof at the construction site for a new KUB new pump station along the South Knoxville riverfront July 25, 2023. Construction is 80% complete, but electrical work, hydraulic systems testing and landscaping still needs to be done.

There's still a lot of work to do. That includes electrical work, hydraulic systems testing and landscaping.

KUB plans to begin operating the station in summer 2024, Witt said.

Know Your Knox answers your burning questions about life in Knoxville. Want your question answered? Email knowyourknox@knoxnews.com.

Ryan Wilusz is a downtown growth and development reporter. Phone 865-317-5138. Email ryan.wilusz@knoxnews.com. Instagram @knoxscruff.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: KUB wastewater pump station coming to South Knoxville waterfront