Proposed Sewage Treatment Facility in Ooltewah on Savannah Creek

[RobN]

The Waste Water Treatment Authority (WWTA) of Hamilton county has proposed a sewage treatment facility to be located on Savannah creek in Ooltewah. The proposed sewage plant will be located off Mahan Gap Road bordering Savannah creek, the effluent will be pumped to the river somewhere around Sequoya. The WWTA has a long history of overflows and spills, most recently on the Champions Golf Course, also in this area. There will eventually be spills at the proposed facility and the raw sewage will find its way into Savannah creek and then to Wolftever, and then to the main Lake.

Thankfully we have county commissioners that listened and the funding request was voted down until public input could be gathered. The public meetings will start this Thursday 10/11 @ 5:30PM in front of the old fire station at 9100 Snow Hill Road. I would encourage you to attend if you want to be heard.

If you live in this area you have multiple reasons to be concerned. If you enjoy the lake you also have multiple reasons to be concerned.

Here are several links with more information and a petition you can sign opposing the site:
Petition:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-wwta-sewer-plant-in-ooltewah

Facebook Page with details:
https://www.facebook.com/ooltewahsewage/

Article regarding the commission meeting:
http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/3922501...to-not-fund-water-treatment-plant-in-ooltewah

 

[Aries 181]

Since October 2017, the WWTA has had 29 overflows of raw sewage, ie, human waste totaling over 2.1 MILLION gallons into Rogers branch, a small creek in the Ooltewah area.

I can't even begin to imagine the effect this has had on the groundwater and wildlife in that area and yet the management of the WWTA wants the public to believe it can build a safe/non smelling sewage treatment plant that would dump "treated" wastewater into Savannah bay which flows into Harrison bay on Chickamauga lake.

If you don't mind fishing in a large brown stain where the "treated" water will be discharged, then say nothing. If you are concerned enough to care about our great resource, then show up at the meeting at Central high school on November 8th at 5:30 PM to voice your concerns.

Also, contact your county commissioner and let him/her know that you strongly oppose the location of this plant.

Bill

 

[RobN]

Just to be clear Roger's Branch flows directly into Wolftever creek. There was a 68 day period (based on the TDEC reports) between August 2nd and October 8th that the sewage discharge was 2,040,807 gallons ( OVER 2 MILLION GALLONS), making the avg to 30,011 gallons per day that was discharged into Roger's Branch and this would have gone right into Wolftever. The WWTA is also being sued by the Riverkeepers due to the numerous issues they keep having with the Signal Mountain sewage treatment plant.

I initially became interested in this because the proposed location of the Mahan Gap Road Sewage plant is very close to my house but the more I have learned about the WWTA, my concerns have grown. The WWTA is a very incompetent group and they will eventually ruin the fishery and the environment that so many of us enjoy and care deeply about.

I would ask each of you to contact your county commissioner and attend the public meetings. If the WWTA is allowed to expand we will not recover.

I have attached a FB link that has a lot of information regarding the WWTA and the proposed sewage plant:
https://www.facebook.com/noooltewahsewage/

Link with latest WWTA news:
https://www.timesfreepress.com/news...BKxPwrRravcEoL5PwNMc47mmoaRmKpbJONODLooTBwQbQ




thanks,
Rob

 

[finbully]

The purpose of the new plant is to alleviate the problems you all are discussing. The need for the plant is a direct function of the growth in the area. It has to be sited near the growing area.

What would an alternative solution be? These plants are expensive to build and staff so if anyone has a better solution you could save us all tax money.

 

[swamp]

Birchwood landfill site

 

[swamp]

Birchwood landfill site

 

[TNTall]

The alternative is to make houses have septic tanks like they used to.

 

[finbully]

TNTall - 11/5/2018 10:59 AM

The alternative is to make houses have septic tanks like they used to.

That doesn't have any impact to water supplies? Untreated poop?

 

[swamp]

I think a large scale incinerator at landfill site is a good idea.

 

[Aries 181]

TNTall - 11/5/2018 11:59 AM

The alternative is to make houses have septic tanks like they used to.

That would be fine except for greedy developers buying up all the farmland and wooded areas. Then they cram 4-5 houses on every acre they own. There isn't enough room on the lots to run the field lines necessary for septic systems w/o building the houses over the field lines.

Bill

 

[TNTall]

Yeah I hate it for em.

 

[Aries 181]

The RPA has given the WWTA a 30 day extension so the meeting at Central is cancelled.

Bill

 

[RobN]

There are numerous alternatives that will have less risk to the environment and reduce the exposure to the current residents - there are 3300+ homes within 2 miles of the Mahan Gap site, there are 2 elementary schools within 1 mile, any issues/spills/leaks at the Mahan Gap site will go directly into Savannah Bay.

The “cheapest” solution is rarely the best, the risk to the environment and the health risk to the current residents should be considered along with the cost to the users.

The birchwood landfill is an option, expanding Moccasin Bend is an option, having the developers utilize decentralized sewage treatment systems at each of thier developments (utilized in numerous parts of the country and shifts the cost to the developers). Point being there are numerous options, That will not be as damaging to the environment.