The Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority (WWTA) announced a 12% increase in sewer fees will go into effect on Oct. 1.
The WWTA has been in negotiations with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for more than five years.
The WWTA has been working to enter into a Consent Decree (CD) that will provide a legal settlement and a work plan to address sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) in Hamilton County. As with other metropolitan areas across the state and country who have entered into similar agreements, the WWTA anticipates the duration of the CD to be between 15 and 20 years with a significant portion of the work occurring in the first 10 years.
The primary requirement of the CD is an accelerated work plan. In anticipation of the CD, sewer rehabilitation projects are currently underway in East Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Ooltewah, Red Bank, and Soddy Daisy. Additional projects are in the planning stage that will correct significant deficiencies on Signal Mountain.
With numerous sewer projects already in progress across Hamilton County and many more to come, the cost of the work is significant. To begin to meet the financial obligations of the accelerated work plan, it is necessary for the WWTA to increase sewer fees by 12%. The rate increase will take effect on Oct. 1.
WWTA Board Chairman Dick Gee said, “The Hamilton County sewer system typically experiences over 200 weather-related sewer overflows each year. The overflows can contaminate local streams and potentially pose a public health risk. Addressing the issue is costly; however, it is the right thing to do and it is a requirement of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.”
WWTA Executive Director Michael Patrick said, “The WWTA has worked hard to keep sewer fees as low as possible throughout its history. As with other infrastructure that we rely on as a society, a very conservative approach was taken to address upgrades and repairs. Unfortunately, we are at the point where we can no longer put off making significant improvements to our critical sewer infrastructure. Some of the most important components of our modern society are the investments that previous generations have made in our water and sewer infrastructure. Those investments were not easy then and certainly are not easy now. However, it is time for us to do our part for ourselves as well as for future generations. In the coming months, you will be hearing about the projects that the WWTA is undertaking to provide a safe and reliable sanitary sewer system for Hamilton County. We would appreciate the public’s understanding as the work begins. We will post regular updates on our social media page and also through traditional media platforms to let the public know where these investments are being made, why they are being made, and who they will serve both now and in the future.”