The KUB Board of Commissioners today approved a budget of $841 million for fiscal year 2013. The budget, which reflects a full year of accelerated infrastructure investment for KUB's Century II electric and water programs, represents an increase of 1.6 percent or $13.2 million over current fiscal year expenditures.

The approved budget provides $481 million for wholesale energy purchases from TVA and natural gas suppliers to meet the demands of KUB's electric and natural gas customers, $158 million for capital improvements, $117 million for the operation and maintenance of KUB's four utility systems, $59 million for debt-service payments, and $26 million for taxes and tax equivalent payments.

The $158 million capital budget includes $44 million for capital improvements required under the federal Consent Decree for the wastewater system, $11 million for electric substation improvements, $8 million for the replacement of 2,600 poles for the electric system, $7 million for the replacement of aging water pipe, $6 million for replacement of gas pipe, and $5 million for the design and initial construction of a new low service pump station for the water treatment plant.

The Board also approved several funding recommendations related to the budget, including $120 million in bonds to fund capital improvements for the electric, gas, and wastewater systems, and, on first reading, a previously scheduled wastewater rate increase. The proposed wastewater rate increase, if approved on second reading by the Board at its June meeting, will raise the average residential wastewater customer's monthly bill $5.20. The proposed rate increase is part of KUB's long-term plan to fund $650 million in capital improvements for the wastewater system required under the Consent Decree.

KUB is a municipal utility serving Knox and parts of seven adjacent counties and provides electric, gas, water, and wastewater services to more than 439,000 customers.

KUB will close the northbound curbside lane of traffic on a section of Henley Street between W. Church Avenue and Clinch Avenue from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 13, as work is completed on the water distribution system in this area. One northbound lane, the northbound turn lane, and all southbound lanes will remain open while this work is completed.

KUB will close the southbound curbside lane of traffic on a section of Alcoa Highway between Mount Vernon Drive and Ginn Drive from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Monday, May 14, as work is completed on the gas distribution system in this area. One southbound lane and both northbound lanes will remain open while this work is completed. Tuesday, May 15, will be used as a backup date if necessary.

Some listed closures may extend beyond the scheduled times depending on the conditions encountered during excavation and construction. Appropriate traffic control measures will be in place at each location to assist motorists traveling in these areas. Due to the ongoing presence of workers and equipment, motorists are advised to use extreme caution and expect temporary delays in these areas.

KUB is a municipal utility serving Knox and parts of seven adjacent counties and provides electric, gas, water, and wastewater services to more than 439,000 customers.

In recognition of Drinking Water Week (May 6-12), on Wednesday, May 9, KUB will host a booth at the Farmer's Market on Market Square from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors to the KUB booth can learn about water quality and conservation, ask questions, and pick up a free reusable water bottle.

"Our water has always met or surpassed state and federal standards," said Debbie Ailey, manager of Regulatory Compliance at KUB. "We want our customers to feel confident in the quality of their water. The Market Square event on May 9 will help educate customers and answer their questions."

KUB serves over 77,600 water customers and treats more than 12 billion gallons of water annually, averaging 34 million gallons of water a day. In addition, KUB water rates remain competitive with other utilities in the southeast region, with tap water costing less than one-half cent per gallon ($0.004/gallon).

KUB's State-certified water quality laboratory conducts more than 100,000 tests a year. Those tests check for over 150 potential contaminants to ensure a consistently safe water supply and to protect our area waterways. The results are released each year in the Water Quality Report.

To learn more about KUB's excellent water quality, see our most recent Water Quality Report. The report was mailed to all customers along with bills issued in April. To access the report and other water information online, visit www.kub.org and click on the Water Quality Report under the Hot Topics Index. The report is also available at KUB payment centers..

KUB is a municipal utility serving Knox and parts of seven adjacent counties and provides electric, gas, water, and wastewater services to more than 439,000 customers.

KUB and its contractor will close a short section of Pleasant Ridge Road between Western Avenue and Orangewood Road, nightly from 6:30 p.m. to 6 a.m., starting Monday evening, May 7 and lasting through Wednesday morning, May 9.

Access to and from Western Avenue onto Pleasant Ridge Road will be closed during this period.

All lanes on Pleasant Ridge Road will be reopened to traffic during the day.

Alternate routes include Sanderson Road. This work is part of a larger project to upgrade the sewer system in the area.

Some listed closures may extend beyond the scheduled times depending on the conditions encountered during excavation and construction. Appropriate traffic control measures will be in place at each location to assist motorists traveling in these areas. Due to the ongoing presence of workers and equipment, motorists are advised to use extreme caution and expect temporary delays in these areas.

KUB is a municipal utility serving Knox and parts of seven adjacent counties and provides electric, gas, water, and wastewater services to more than 439,000 customers.

KUB will be participating in EarthFest on Saturday, April 21 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Pellissippi State, Hardin Valley Campus. Bring an old incandescent light bulb to the KUB booth and exchange it for a new compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). This offer is good for the first 100 people. Limit one CFL per household, please.

KUB has been participating in EarthFest since it began in 2000. The annual EarthFest is a day of food, fun, entertainment, and lots of environmental education opportunities. Admission is free.

Eleven percent of your household energy bill goes to lighting, according to the Department of Energy. A quick way to save money on your electric bill is to switch to CFLs. A CFL can save you $40 or more in electricity costs over its lifetime. The bulbs use less energy than incandescent bulbs, produce the same light output, and last up to 10 times longer.

CFLs provide the greatest savings when they're used in fixtures that are turned on for more than 15 minutes at a time. The federal government's ENERGY STAR guidelines suggest using CFLs in open fixtures that allow airflow. Good examples of uses are in table and floor lamps, hanging lamps, wall sconces, and outdoor fixtures.

For more information on EarthFest, visit www.knox-earthfest.org.

For more information on CFLs, how to save on lighting, and other conservation tips, visit the Money-saving Tips or Environment sections on www.kub.org. KUB, a municipal utility serving Knox and parts of seven adjacent counties, provides electric, gas, water, and wastewater services to more than 439,000 customers.

KUB is a municipal utility serving Knox and parts of seven adjacent counties and provides electric, gas, water, and wastewater services to more than 439,000 customers.

Governor Bill Haslam has issued a proclamation announcing April as Tennessee Safe Digging Month. The proclamation reminds Tennessee homeowners to call 811 before starting any outdoor digging projects. A phone call to 811 allows homeowners to have utility-owned underground lines marked for free.

April marks the start of spring digging season, so KUB, 811, and Governor Haslam are encouraging homeowners to call 811 before they dig to prevent injuries. An underground utility line is damaged by digging once every three minutes nationwide, and one-third of these incidents are caused because the digger did not call 811 to properly locate the underground utility lines.

Tennessee State Law requires anyone about to engage in digging, excavation, moving of earth, demolition, or any type of activity that could damage underground utility lines, to notify 811 of their intent to dig no less than three business days before the work is to begin. 811 will then notify KUB and other member utilities about the proposed work and will mark the requested excavation area with paint or flags so customers will know where to dig safely during excavation.

Knowing where lines are buried before each digging project helps protect customers from injury, expense, and penalties from damages.

Please note:

KUB will close the northbound curbside lane of traffic on a section of Middlebrook Pike between Clyde Street and Western Avenue from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Monday, March 26, as work is completed on the natural gas distribution system in this area.

One northbound lane and both southbound lanes will remain open while this work is completed.

Some listed closures may extend beyond the scheduled times depending on the conditions encountered during excavation and construction. Appropriate traffic control measures will be in place at each location to assist motorists traveling in these areas. Due to the ongoing presence of workers and equipment, motorists are advised to use extreme caution and expect temporary delays in these areas.

KUB is a municipal utility serving Knox and parts of seven adjacent counties and provides electric, gas, water, and wastewater services to more than 439,000 customers.

Beginning on Monday, March 19, and lasting through Friday, March 30, KUB will close a section of Keith Avenue NW to thru traffic between Dawn Street and McTeer Street as work is completed on the sanitary sewer system in this area.

This road closure will be in effect weekdays only for the duration of the work. Alternating single lane closures will allow thru traffic on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. A full road closure for this section will take effect from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily to allow construction work to be done. Alternate travel routes include Mingle Avenue, Fillmore Avenue, and Sterchi Street.

Some listed closures may extend beyond the scheduled times depending on the conditions encountered during excavation and construction. Appropriate traffic control measures will be in place at each location to assist motorists traveling in these areas. Due to the ongoing presence of workers and equipment, motorists are advised to use extreme caution and expect temporary delays in these areas.

KUB is a municipal utility serving Knox and parts of seven adjacent counties and provides electric, gas, water, and wastewater services to more than 439,000 customers.

On Wednesday, March 21, KUB will close a section of Joe Hinton Road to thru traffic between Hull Lane and Jenkins Creek Drive as a utility pole is replaced in this area.

A full road closure for this section will take effect from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to allow construction work to be done. Alternate travel routes include Chert Pit Road, Jenkins Road, and Middlebrook Pike.

Some listed closures may extend beyond the scheduled times depending on the conditions encountered during excavation and construction. Appropriate traffic control measures will be in place at each location to assist motorists traveling in these areas. Due to the ongoing presence of workers and equipment, motorists are advised to use extreme caution and expect temporary delays in these areas.

KUB is a municipal utility serving Knox and parts of seven adjacent counties and provides electric, gas, water, and wastewater services to more than 439,000 customers.

A KUB crew continues to work at the site of a water main break that occurred early Tuesday morning in the eastbound curbside lane of Cumberland Avenue between Seventeenth Street and Nineteenth Street.

The eastbound curbside lane is expected to remain closed through the evening commute in the immediate area on this section of Cumberland Avenue. One eastbound and both westbound lanes will remain open during this period.

Barring further problems during the repair process, KUB anticipates having water service restored by early afternoon on Tuesday. Once the water main has been repaired and service restored, KUB will begin working to repair roadway damages in the area.

Flagmen will be onsite to assist with maintaining access to businesses along this section of Cumberland Avenue during this period. On-site signage and barricades will remain in place for the duration of this work. Motorists are advised to use caution and expect possible delays when traveling in this area.

Follow-up advisories will be issued as needed.

KUB is a municipal utility serving Knox and parts of seven adjacent counties and provides electric, gas, water, and wastewater services to more than 439,000 customers.