East Ridge News Online

Your Local News Source

  • Home
  • News
  • Crime
    • Arrest Reports
    • Court Dockets & Dispositions
  • Opinions
    • Read Opinions
    • Submit An Opinion
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • More
    • Business
    • Community
    • Good Eats
  • Contact US
    • Contact Us
    • Submit A News Tip
    • Submit An Opinion
You are here: Home / FEATURED POSTS / City Officials Recognize ‘Urgent Need’ for Sewer Improvements

City Officials Recognize ‘Urgent Need’ for Sewer Improvements

September 16, 2020 By Dick Cook and Contributed Article 1 Comment

The following is a press release from the City of East Ridge:

In September 2020, The Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority (WWTA) Board of Commissioners announced a 12 percent increase in sewer fees to all their customers beginning October 1, 2020.  Regardless of the rate increase, the City of East Ridge acknowledges the urgent need for WWTA to provide significant improvements to the current sewer infrastructure. 

  1. 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. 
  2. The WWTA and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) have entered into a Consent Decree (CD) to develop an accelerated work plan to address excessive sanitary sewer overflows in Hamilton County.
  3. Addressing the sewer overflows and the critical work required is costly. To begin to meet the financial obligations of the accelerated work plan, the WWTA found it necessary to increase sewer fees by 12 percent.  The WWTA Board of Commissioners is looking at options to minimize the impact as much as possible to their customers. 
  4. In anticipation of the CD, the WWTA has sewer rehabilitation projects currently underway in East Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Ooltewah, Red Bank, and Soddy-Daisy.

The rate increase will be used to pay for the rehabilitation of sewer lines and numerous other critical sewer projects in East Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Lakesite, Red Bank, Ridgeside, Signal Mountain, Soddy-Daisy and unincorporated areas of Hamilton County.

The City of East Ridge recognizes the urgent need of the WWTA to provide significant improvements to the sewer infrastructure.  However,  The Board members of WWTA are appointed by the Hamilton County Commission and are responsible for providing services for more than 30,000 customers.  Therefore, the WWTA sets the rate for what customers are charged. 

A detailed explanation of the purpose of the 12% increase can be found on the home page of the WWTA website at https://wwta.hamiltontn.gov or contact them at 423-209-7842 or 423-209-7808.  More information can also be found on their social media site: facebook.com/HamiltonCountyWWTA.

 

Filed Under: FEATURED POSTS, News, SLIDER

About Dick Cook

Dick Cook has lived in East Ridge since the Kennedy Administration when his parents bought a house on Marietta Street. Dick graduated from ERHS in 1976 before going on to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he studied Political Science. Dick worked for the Chattanooga Free-Press and the Chattanooga Times Free Press for 22 years. Free-Press Sports Editor Roy Exum plucked him out of production in 1989 and gave him a job as a sports reporter. Dick covered everything from prep sports to the whitewater events on the Ocoee River for the 1996 Olympics. When Chattanooga's two paper's merged, he became the Crime Reporter covering both the Chattanooga Police and Fire Departments. He was among reporters who were honored by the Associated Press for the TFP's coverage of the 2002 fog-shrouded crash on I-75 in Catoosa County, Dick and his wife, Cathy, live on Marlboro Avenue where they are seen frequently chasing around their three grandsons.

About Contributed Article


Search Our Site

Will you and your family patronize the new Whataburger coming to East Ridge?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive

Our Sponsors:


Contact Us
Submit A Tip
Copyright Notice
Advertise
Terms of Service
Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in