Sewer customers in Signal Mountain and East Ridge will get some visits next month as plumbers start doing work in the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority's program to repair or replace lines.
"We can't get started too soon," authority attorney Mike Carter told plumbers Tuesday.
A group of 27 qualified plumbers picked up contracts Tuesday morning to set the program in motion. Each plumber has 15 days to fill out and sign the contract, and authority board Chairman Phil Smartt has another 15 days to sign them all, said authority Executive Director Cleveland Grimes.
Work should get started as soon as that 30-day period is up in the middle of next month, Mr. Grimes said.
Authority Chief Engineer Mark Harrison told plumbers that they are allowed to work only on properties where the owners have given permission. Authority officials have asked the plumbers to try to get homeowners that haven't signed permission forms to sign them.
Bill Foxworth of Chattanooga Roto-Rooter asked what would happen if the occupant of the house signs the form but is a tenant rather than the owner.
Mr. Harrison said permission must come from the owner.
Norman Judd of Best Plumbing and Heating Co. said the authority is being "as fair as they believe they can be" to the plumbers. The authority assigned each plumber a number through a lottery Tuesday that determines the order they will be given jobs.
About 24,000 of the authority's gravity sewer customers throughout the county have been paying $8 per month to fund the program. Plumbers will inspect and repair sewer lines that run from customers' homes to the main line under the road.
The program is a response to a state order to remove rainwater infiltration from the sewer system.
Authority officials have decided to start the program in Signal Mountain and East Ridge, but will move on to Red Bank, Lookout Mountain, Soddy-Daisy, Lakesite, Ridgeside and unincorporated areas of the county.
HOW IT WORKS
WWTA officials told plumbers Tuesday that their work will come in four phases.
* Phase 1: Plumber locates the line and does initial check.
* Phase 2: Outside contractor inspects the line, and authority issues a work order.
* Phase 3: Plumber carries out the work order, which could be for as much as completely replacing line.
* Phase 4: Contractor tests the line to make sure it meets standards.