PROPOSED NORTH HAMILTON WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT PROPERTY PURCHASE TO BE VOTED ON BY HAMILTON COUNTY COMMISSION:

Once Operational, will Meet Community Needs for Approximately Four Decades 

Chattanooga, Tennessee (October 1, 2018)- - - The Hamilton County Commission will consider a financing agreement with the Hamilton County Water & Wastewater Treatment Authority (WWTA) that will allow the agency to purchase a 157-acre parcel located at 7800 Mahan Gap Road to meet future needs.  The cost of the property is $2.6 million.  Closing costs are anticipated to be no more than $400,000 with a total cost of $3 million to conclude the sale.

The site was among ten considered by the WWTA.  The first consideration was at the County’s landfill station; however, the property was dismissed from consideration due to the topography of the site and cost to construct at that location.  The site selected by the WWTA has 77 contiguous acres above the 100-year floodplain in two distinct areas and is suitable as a treatment facility. In addition, the size allows for significant buffering to provide a more pleasing aesthetic to the community.  The WWTA plans to use less than one-third of the site for the plant with three acres or less in exposed sewer. 

This new facility will be much smaller than the City of Chattanooga’s wastewater treatment facility. By comparison, the WWTA treatment facility will be sized to treat less than ten percent of the city’s facility and occupy a much smaller footprint. In addition, there will be a significant investment in odor control and landscaping from the start of the project. 

Like cities and counties across the state of Tennessee, Chattanooga and Hamilton County are facing state and federally mandated clean-ups of their sewer facilities to make the environment safer as communities grow. The cost to mitigate the local issue is over $500 million. In Memphis, the cost is $250 million; while in Knoxville the cost is $540 million. The cost jumps to over $1.3 billion in Nashville.

The WWTA plan calls for treated water to go into the Tennessee River near the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant. While they are not sure of the exact location, they know that the plant will not be discharging treated water through the tributaries along Savannah Bay and into Harrison Bay.

WWTA Executive Director Mark Harrison said, “Protecting the environment and planning for growth can go hand-in-hand and certainly will for this project. There’s no way we’d ever try to send treated water through areas that might have a negative impact on our valuable creeks and tributaries.  We believe that the Tennessee Department of Environment of Conservation wouldn’t approve a plan that will take such a route.”

Harrison noted that citizens have been reaching out to the WWTA since the project came up during last week’s Hamilton County Commission agenda session.  “We appreciate the thoughtful comments and concerns we’ve received.  We will be posting frequently asked questions on our Facebook page and encourage people to look there for answers.”

In addition, he noted that a public meeting has been scheduled on Thursday, October 11 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Fire Hall Training Center located at 9100 Snow Hill Road in Ooltewah. 

Homes in the area that are on septic will not have to connect to the line; however, as septic tanks fail over time, having an option that will serve the most amount of customers for the least amount of money is one that makes sense in the fastest growing area of Hamilton County.  Sewer systems are also far more environmentally friendly than septic systems for growing communities.

With approval of the financing plan by the County Commission, the project will then move into zoning for consideration before the plant can be finalized.  WWTA Board Chair Mike Moon noted that throughout the process, the WWTA will hold public meetings to keep the public informed and involved.  “It’s important for the community to know the challenges we’re facing to keep the environment safe both now and in the future. We appreciate the concerns we’ve heard and will continue to develop a plan that addresses environmental demands as we meet community need.”

About Hamilton County Water & Wastewater Treatment Authority

The Hamilton County Water Wastewater Treatment Authority (WWTA) is responsible for the public sewer system throughout the unincorporated areas of Hamilton County, Tennessee, and the surrounding municipalities of East Ridge, Lakesite, Lookout Mountain, Red Bank, Ridgeside, Signal Mountain, and Soddy Daisy. Our purpose is to protect the environment and public by regulating the quality of water discharged through the wastewater collection system and treatment works. The WWTA regulates the expansion of sewers and ensures compliancy with the provisions of the Clean Water act as well as other federal, state, and local laws.

Created in 1993 by the Hamilton County Commission, the WWTA is comprised of over 500 miles of collection lines, 60 pump stations, 900 grinder pumps, two wastewater treatment facilities, and services for more than 30,000 customers.

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