Hallsdale Powell Utility District - Outrageous Rates

Hallsdale Powell Utility District - Outrageous Rates This is a protest page to help spread information about outrageous spending and rates of HPUD. Are you tired of over $200 water bills? We are too!!

The leadership of Hallsdale Powell has set a path of destruction while maintaining frivolous spending levels that have put our water rates into the stratosphere. Consumers have no choice but to pay these rates and there is no one in the consumers corner holding them accountable. I challenge everyone to get involved to make them pay down the multi-million dollar debt they use to justify these rates. Over 20% of HPUD water goes unaccounted for and the ratepayers pay the difference. Water was run 20+ miles into Sharps Chapel lakefront community costing millions and the ratepayers get stuck with the bill. While in debt with rising rates they build a multi-million dollar facility off Cunningham Rd. Who is in control of this insanity?

HPUD has invested heavily in system expansion beyond its traditional service area, with more than $150 million invested ...
06/13/2026

HPUD has invested heavily in system expansion beyond its traditional service area, with more than $150 million invested in capital projects over the years. At the same time, residents continue to experience recurring concerns involving water quality, treatment challenges, sanitary sewer overflows, aging infrastructure, and rising rates.

The question many customers are asking is simple:

Are existing customers receiving the level of investment in treatment, infrastructure reliability, and system performance that should accompany some of the highest utility rates in our region?

Rates are set based on the district’s financial needs, operating costs, debt obligations, and capital spending. Yet despite continued spending and rate increases, residents are once again dealing with discolored water, odor complaints, and concerns about service quality.

We have reviewed years of HPUD financial statements, audits, budgets, capital plans, and board presentations. The amount of money spent is significant. What is less clear is whether those investments are producing the improvements customers expect and deserve.

Residents deserve clear answers:

• What measurable improvements have been achieved?
• What projects remain unfinished?
• What is the timeline for addressing recurring treatment and infrastructure issues?
• What specific performance goals is leadership using to measure success?
• How will residents know when these problems have truly been fixed?

This is not a criticism of the employees working every day to keep the system running.

It is a call for leadership accountability.

Customers deserve a direct, detailed public plan that identifies the problems, explains the solutions, provides measurable benchmarks, and establishes realistic timelines for completion.

The community is paying for the system.

The community deserves to know when the problems will be fixed.

01/28/2026

The Hidden Halls & Powell “Tax”

What Does Water + Sewer REALLY Cost at 5,000 Gallons?

A typical household uses about 5,000 gallons of water per month. When you include both water and sewer, here’s how HPUD compares to neighboring utility districts using published 2024 rate schedules:

💧 HPUD: ~$135–145/month
💧 KUB: ~$70–80/month
💧 West Knox: ~$85–90/month
💧 Northeast Knox: ~$80–85/month
💧 Knox-Chapman: ~$82–88/month
💧 First Utility: ~$78–82/month
💧 Luttrell-Blaine-Corryton: ~$72–76/month

That means HPUD customers are paying $45–65 MORE every month for basic water and sewer service — or $540–780 more per year.

This gap isn’t explained by usage. It’s driven by:
• High base charges
• High per-1,000-gallon water and sewer rates
• Ongoing reliance on debt-funded projects

Bottom line: Many neighboring districts provide the same essential services, maintain strong finances, and fund infrastructure — without charging customers nearly twice as much.

📄 Sources: 2024 audited financial reports and published rate schedules. Estimates assume typical residential billing where sewer is based on water usage.

📢 HPUD: What the Numbers Show (2020–2024)We were tagged again this week by a concerned citizen asking about rising water...
01/14/2026

📢 HPUD: What the Numbers Show (2020–2024)

We were tagged again this week by a concerned citizen asking about rising water rates. In response, we reviewed HPUD’s audited financial reports from the Tennessee Comptroller, comparing 2020 to the most recent report available (2024).

Here are the key takeaways customers deserve to see:

• Rates are up — even though revenues and reserves are up.
HPUD’s operating revenues increased roughly 26% from 2020 to 2024, while operating expenses grew far less. Despite this, customers continue to face annual rate increases.

• Debt-funded projects are driving bills higher.
Long-term debt increased approximately 10.3% over the period — from about $155M in 2020 to $171M in 2024. Large infrastructure projects expanded the debt load, and those costs are passed on to customers through higher rates.

• Financial strength hasn’t translated into customer relief.
Net assets grew from roughly $157M to over $200M, and unrestricted reserves more than doubled. Yet customer bills continue to rise year after year.

• System inefficiencies still cost customers.
Historic reports cite 40%+ water loss due to leaks and aging infrastructure. Customers are still paying for water that never reaches homes.

• The rate structure hits households hard.
High base charges combined with high per-unit usage rates keep HPUD bills among the highest in the region — even for modest water use.

Regulatory oversight has not resulted in meaningful restraint.
Despite a July 2020 appearance before the State Board of Utility Regulation following customer complaints, HPUD’s rate-setting and debt practices remained unchanged. Since that time, the utility has continued expanding capital debt and passing those costs to customers through higher rates, raising concerns that regulatory review functions more as a procedural requirement than an effective safeguard for ratepayers.

Bottom line: HPUD is financially stronger today than it was in 2020, but customers are paying more every year with no meaningful relief. It’s fair to ask why rate increases remain the default solution instead of stronger efficiency, accountability, and cost control.

📄 Source: Tennessee Comptroller audited financial reports (FY 2020 & FY 2024)

Address

3745 Cunningham Road
Knoxville, TN
37918

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