About the WWTA

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. The WWTA is not responsible for sewers in the City of Collegedale, the Town of Walden or the City of Chattanooga.
 
The purpose of the WWTA is to protect the environment and the public by regulating the quality of water discharged into the wastewater collection system and treatment works, regulating the quality of construction of extensions to the sewer, and encouraging the expansion of sewers of the wastewater collection system. The WWTA has established regulations to ensure its compliancy with the provisions of the Clean Water Act and other applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations ordinances and with any other requirements of orders, consent decrees, and/or mandates established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), including permits for authorization to discharge under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and State Operating Permit (SOP); and its customers’ compliance with these rules and regulations, rate schedules for wastewater service adopted by the WWTA Board and any rules of procedure established by the WWTA Board to implement these rules and regulations.

The WWTA was created in 1993 by the Hamilton County Commission in accordance to the Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority Act, T.C.A. 68-221-601. The WWTA collection system is composed of over 500 miles of collection lines, 60 pump stations, 900 grinder pumps, 2 wastewater treatment facilities, and services over 30,000 sewer customers. In December of 2012, the WWTA began sewer billing for customers who receive water services from Tennessee American Water (TAW).

The WWTA operations are entirely supported by revenues generated through construction projects, permits, inspection fees and sewer usage fees. No tax dollars are provided for the operation of the WWTA’s wastewater collection systems and treatment works. It is the WWTA Board’s judiciary responsibility to provide reliable and courteous sewer service within its service area in order to promote economic development, eliminate health problems, and to protect the environment.

What We Do


  • Operate and maintain the sewer collection system including Grinder Pump Low Pressure.
  • Sewer (LPS) Systems, Septic Tank Effluent Pumping (STEP) Systems, Small Diameter.
  • Gravity Systems, pump stations, and flow meters.
  • Operate and maintain the Signal Mountain Wastewater Treatment Plant.
  • Operate and maintain the Wild Ridge Recirculating Wastewater Treatment Plant.
  • Issues Sewer Construction Permits.
  • Issues Sewer Tap-On Permits for the sewer service laterals connections, replacements, evaluations, and point repairs.
  • Inspects all sanitary sewer service laterals, STEP systems, Small Diameter systems and Grinder Pump systems installations.
  • Inspects all sanitary sewer collection system and pump station construction within the WWTA service area.
  • Approve all drawings and proposals for construction of new public sewers
  • Provide assistance to property owners and developers.
  • Assist plumbers in locating sewer laterals.
  • Provide information to real estate professionals and citizens on area sewer availability within the WWTA service area.
  • Provide water utility companies with information to begin billing new customers.
  • The WWTA staff is on call 24/7 to respond swiftly to emergency calls and system emergencies.
  • Maintain records for applicable federal, state and local laws.
  • Member of Tennessee One-Call System and mark sewer line locations when notified.
  • Maintain drawings on public sewers in systems.
  • Maintain standard specifications and details used for sewer design.
  • Provide billing adjustments for water leaks.
  • Responsible for providing customer service, payment arrangements and addressing issues and concerns of sewer billing customers.
  • Responsible for the procedures, rules and regulations of the Private Service Lateral/Service Lateral Program (PSLP)/(SLP) programs.
  • Responsible for the procedures, rules and regulations of the EPA Maintenance, Operation and Management (MOM) Program.
  • Responsible for the enforcement, procedures, rules and regulations of the EPA Fats, Oil & Grease (FOG) Policy.