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Cleveland Utilities (CU) believes in being open and transparent with its customer base and wants to communicate an important update regarding challenges the utility has and continues to face during its ongoing fiber project.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Cleveland Utilities (CU) Prepares for Implementation of EPA’s Revised Lead and Copper Rule Cleveland, TN – October 4, 2024 – Cleveland Utilities (CU) is actively preparing for the upcoming implementation of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Revision (LCRR). One of the key components of the revisions requires water systems to create an inventory of water service line materials on both the utility side and the customer side of a water meter. CU has always placed the safety of the water supplied to customers as a top priority and has not installed any lead piping on its system since 1971 and possibly even earlier. Additionally, CU employs corrosion control treatments to create protective coatings on pipes and homeowner plumbing, which helps prevent lead from leaching into the water. For years, CU’s rigorous sampling has consistently shown no lead issues, meeting the stringent regulatory standards set by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and the EPA. Although the revised LCRR reporting will not come into full effect until this month, CU has been diligently working on the water lines inventory for an extended period. Initial findings suggest that most properties in our service territory don’t have lead service lines originating from the utility side. However, there remains a slight possibility that some customer service lines in homes built before 1988 may still contain lead. Cleveland Utilities will soon be sending additional communications, including a new section on its website with information about how the LCRR will affect CU and its customers as well as a link to the survey with detailed instructions. CU will need collaboration from customers to collect information about the material of the water service line at their residence to help us identify potential lead material that could be in our area. CU is committed to providing clean drinking water to its customers. The water quality of CU meets or exceeds all federal and state water regulations. We are committed to maintaining this track record as we work towards full compliance with the revised LCRR. We invite you to visit our Lead and Copper Rule page to learn more about lead, view our interactive service line map to find your address, and participate in our Service Line Material Survey. Click Here for more information.

The word is out! We are building fiber in our community, and cannot wait to get you connected! Cleveland Utilities (CU) contract construction crews are actively constructing its brand new state-of-the-art fiber optic network. We are excited to share the benefits of our advanced fiber network with you: fast download and upload speeds, generous bandwidth, and reliability of fiber direct to your home. The complete fiber buildout will take an estimated eighteen months before all our electric customers will have access to these services. Despite the wait and occasional inconveniences over the coming months, we are proud to be able to bring you another option and access to the fastest, most reliable internet in our area. The construction stage is focused on building the network by either burying fiber optic cable in the ground or hanging aerial lines (depending on the design of the network and how existing utility lines are installed). What to Expect Overhead Construction The fiber network will be connected to our existing utility poles and consist of hanging aerial lines from pole to pole. Overhead work does not require any digging. Underground Construction The underground construction process will include digging, trenching, and boring activities to install the fiber. We will be utilizing specialized equipment and adhering to industry best practices to minimize disruptions and complete the work as efficiently as possible. Our goal is to minimize any inconvenience to you. Once the work is finished, CU and our contractor will repair any damage and ensure that any affected customer property is properly restored.