KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville Utilities Board will open its Mark B. Whitaker Water Treatment Plant to the public this fall as the facility celebrates its 100th anniversary.
KUB customers can enter a lottery for a chance to participate in the limited public tours. The lottery opens Sept. 8 and closes Sept. 15 at www.kub.org/tours.
Tours will be offered Oct. 22, Oct. 24 and Oct. 28.
Visitors will get a behind-the-scenes look at how KUB produces drinking water for more than 84,000 customers. Guided tours will highlight the plant’s history, the water treatment process and the employees who operate the facility.
The plant, formerly known as the Williams Creek Water Plant, was built in 1926 at a cost of about $1 million. Its construction marked a new era for water treatment in Knoxville and represented a significant investment in the city’s growing water system.
“Our water plant is really a sight to see,” KUB President and CEO Gabriel J. Bolas II said. “I’m excited to showcase the facility and even more excited to highlight our employees who keep the water flowing to the communities we serve every day. It’s a privilege to celebrate and build upon this plant’s monumental legacy.”
KUB continues to maintain and modernize the facility through its long-range Water Supply Master Plan.
One of the plan’s major projects, a $67 million upgrade to the plant’s filters, was recently completed. KUB said the project strengthens resiliency in the water treatment process.
The public tours provide customers with a rare opportunity to see the century-old facility and learn how KUB delivers drinking water to the Knoxville community.
Customers can enter the tour lottery and find additional information at www.kub.org/tours.
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