FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Robin Derryberry

423.755.7588
Robin@Derryberrypr.com

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.

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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.
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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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