County Commission Narrowly Votes Against Mahan Gap Sewage Treatment Plant

  • Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Dean Moorehouse, who leads the opposition to a sewage treatment plant on Mahan Gap Road, speaks with Ooltewah residents at County Commission meeting
Dean Moorehouse, who leads the opposition to a sewage treatment plant on Mahan Gap Road, speaks with Ooltewah residents at County Commission meeting

The County Commission on Wednesday narrowly voted against the controversial sewage treatment plant on Mahan Gap Road to serve North Ooltewah.

In the first vote, five commissioners voted to deny the special exceptions permit.  They were Chester Bankston, Randy Fairbanks, Chip Baker, Katherlyn Geter and Sabrena Smedley.  Commissioners David Sharpe and Greg Martin voted no.  Commissioners Tim Boyd and Warren Mackey passed.

Afterward, Commissioner Boyd changed his pass to a yes and Commissioner Mackey changed his pass to a no.

The vote came to a capacity crowd.  Outside, dozens of others were not able to get inside.

The vote came though County Mayor Jim Coppinger said the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority (WWTA) had not been able to find another acceptable site.  He said to move further north would cost $18 million to $21 million.  He said growth in that part of the county is being stymied by the lack of adequate sewage treatment.

County Mayor Coppinger called the decision "the most important in my tenure here since 2011."

Commissioner Bankston has opposed the proposal from the start, and he quickly moved for denial as soon as the matter was brought up.  He got a quick second from Commissioner Fairbanks.  Then there was lengthy discussion from both sides.

Commissioner Fairbanks said he knew a new plant needs to be built, but he said, "The concern that people out in that area have is a hill I can't get over."

Commissioner Baker said he did not believe that all alternatives had been explored, including the possibility that a private waste handling company might buy out WWTA. 

Commissioner Geter had earlier expressed health concerns for the residents living near the plant.

Chairman Smedley noted that she is a realtor and said she recently lost a $1 million deal because of the sewage issue.  She said she cast her vote because she also did not feel that moving ahead with WWTA at this time was the right choice.  She said she had spoken with officials of a private firm that might be able to build the plant faster and cheaper than the WWTA.

County Mayor Coppinger said he had not heard from any private company that would take on the project.  He said it was decided two years ago during a review of the WWTA that it would be better to keep it in place in order to have more control of growth and of the rates charged to customers.

He also said that if a plant is not built at Mahan Gap that it would likely be used for sewage storage, which he said would likely be more objectionable to neighbors than a sewage plant.  He said the permit was just the first step in a lengthy process and that the matter would have come back later to the County Commission for further approval.

County Mayor Coppinger said the city's Moccasin Bend Sewage Treatment Plant does not have the capacity to take additional effluent from the county.  And he said the city recently raised the rate by 20 percent to WWTA.

He said county officials thought that the site where TVA is building a power center in Meigs County might be an option.  But he said TVA was just planning to use a drip system costing less than $1 million.  He said the whole site did not drain well enough for a septic system.

He also said that federal grant dollars are not available for sewage treatment plants and that a new one has not been built in Tennessee for a number of years.

County Mayor Coppinger said only yesterday a developer wanted to put in 150 lots in East Brainerd for new homes, but only 62 were approved due to sewage problems.  He said job growth has been holding down taxes in Hamilton County, but that jobs may quit coming here if the infrastructure for growth is not in place.

He said E. coli is already in nearby Savannah Bay that apparently comes from inadequate septic systems.

The opposition called up attorney John Cavett, who said that restrictions in the deed could prevent the construction of a sewage treatment plant.

He said that if the plant was approved that there were people ready who had money who would file a suit against the county that might go to the Supreme Court and tie the matter up for years.

Commissioner Boyd said without a wastewater treatment plant, the county "ain't gonna grow no more."  He said he believed that if the plant is built, that within a year "nobody is even going to know it's there."

“While we’re disappointed by today’s vote, we know that we must continue to find ways to meet the future needs of Hamilton County,” said WWTA Executive Director Mark Harrison.  “The last thing any of us want is to stall economic development or find ourselves in a moratorium that will effectively stop the healthy economy we’ve worked so hard to accomplish.”

WWTA Board Chair Mike Moon said, “The WWTA Board was unwilling to add an additional $16 to $21 Million to move the proposed plant to another location.  We are going to have some huge financial challenges with the upcoming Consent Decree and as a board, we decided to take steps that would allow us to keep the pricing as low as possible while meeting the community’s needs.”

Both Harrison and Moon noted that the decision by the Hamilton County Commission was an extremely difficult one and that they appreciated the questions and concerns expressed by commissioners.  “Today’s vote will cause additional challenges as we plan to meet future needs,” said Chair Moon. “However, we remain determined to do all we can to take steps to continue the strong economy we all enjoy.  We appreciate the passion of the Ooltewah community and the time given to public consideration and discussion by the Hamilton County Commission.”


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