The Greene County Commission met Monday evening and voted not to move forward with a resolution adopting a recommended 90-day temporary moratorium on commercial water pumping facilities in an A-1 zone.
The resolution came after the Greene County Regional Planning Commission discussed concerns from residents regarding a company extracting water from the Hampton Spring in Afton. Residents were worried an outside company was disturbing the flow of the spring water near Greystone Road and would affect the water levels.
County Commissioner Brad Peters also brought up a concern from residents regarding the amount of truck traffic from the company on that road. He said Greystone Road is not built for tractor-trailers.
The company, Eternal Water, has a lease agreement with the property owners where the spring is located. With permission from the owners and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Eternal Water had authorization to move forward with their lease agreement for potential spring water bottling.
Greene County Attorney Roger Woolsey said he spoke with TDEC and they explained if the flow of the stream is affected more than 5% then a permit is needed. The county does not have control over the spring water or the authority to monitor the usage. Greene County can only regulate the use of the property.
The property owners and Eternal Water reportedly have no intention of disrupting the continued use of the spring for members of the community and wish to preserve the spring in its natural condition.
