During the last two months, Chad Pickering's home in Collegedale has been without water five times, once for six hours, after workers cut through his water lines while installing sewers.
"When they announced they were going to put sewer in the neighborhood everybody was excited, but they failed to mention they were going to destroy our neighborhood because they were going to put it in our yards," said Pickering, standing outside his residence on Heathwood Drive.
The destruction of front yards and trees in the Mont Wynfield subdivision, where lawns are well kept and trees are abundant, has made several residents regret agreeing to have the sewer installed.
"It's very upsetting," said Shirley Ennis, who might lose a 36-year-old cherry tree when sewer lines are dug at her house.
"This one in front has such emotional meaning for me because my son who helped me plant it fell over dead about four, five years ago with a heart attack," she said.
The city is trying to save every tree possible, Collegedale Mayor John Turner said.
"I would just ask for the patience," he said. "Construction projects are not neat and tidy."
To save money on sewer projects, Collegedale does most of the work in people's yards rather than digging up the road. City officials estimate it would cost twice as much to put sewers under the street, so a $256,000 project like the one in Mont Wynfield might cost more than half a million dollars.
"When you are a very small municipality like we are with a very limited budget, those are some of the very difficult decisions that you have to make," Turner said.
Collegedale officials said they will restore homeowners' lawns, although they acknowledge that they can't replace 30-year-old trees and the sentiments attached.
"I just ask them to give us a chance to complete the project," said Turner. "Let us get through this project and do what we told them we would do."
When the installation is finished, homeowners must pay the city about $2,000 for the sewers and hire plumbers to hook their houses to the system.
BY THE NUMBERS* $256,000: Approximate cost of the sewer project* 23: Homes in the subdivision* 5: Trees lost so far* 2: Lawsuits filed against Collegedale by residentsSource: City of Collegedale, Mont Wynfield residents
City Manager Ted Rogers said the money covers the city's costs and earns a profit. He said user fees, not tax dollars, pay for the system.
The project started in July, although it's been slowed by some residents, including Pickering, who refused to give up their property. Pickering filed a lawsuit to stop an eminent domain action by the city.
While the city has taken the land, the lawsuit is still pending. Pickering is asking for more money for his property than the city offered.
Wiley Austin, who has lived in Mont Wynfield since the 1970s, said if he had understood the entire plan for the sewers, he probably wouldn't have agreed to it. But that's his fault, not the city's, he said.
"I'm not at all unhappy with the people doing the work, nor did I have an unpleasant experience with people at City Hall," he said.
Other neighbors are concerned that the damage to their yards will reduce their property values.
But Randy Durham, president of the Chattanooga Association of Realtors, said sewers would increase the property values.