TO COMMENTUntil the deadline Tuesday, comments on the water permit for the new Amazon.com distribution center can be sent to: Mike Lee, Natural Resources Section, Division of Water Pollution Control, Seventh Floor, L&C Annex, 401 Church St., Nashville, TN 37243-1543 or by phone to 615-532-0712 or by e-mail to mike.lee@tn.gov.
CLEVELAND, Tenn. — A public hearing on whether the state should issue a water quality permit to developers of Bradley County’s Amazon.com site ended Tuesday with zero comments.
That’s because it attracted zero residents.
No one came to the public hearing except Amazon’s environmental consultant, representatives from the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and media.
The hearing was the last public step in the process to bring an Amazon.com distribution facility to Exit 33 off Interstate 75 in northern Bradley County.
The Internet retailer plans a second facility at Enterprise South industrial park in Hamilton County.
The permit would allow the relocation of 2,375 feet of an unnamed tributary that will flow into South Mouse Creek.
“It’s an intermittent stream, which means it flows about three months out of the year,” said Bill Phillips, the environmental consultant who also worked on the Hamilton County site for the new Volkswagen site in Enterprise South.
The rerouted stream will replace a section that’s mostly a gully after it goes under I-75.
The new section will flow around the Amazon facility into a retention pond and be gradually released into South Mouse Creek, a Hiwassee River tributary.
Tuesday’s lack of turnout could be because Amazon site developers met Monday with homeowners in the Exit 33 area to answer questions about noise and light pollution concerns, said Doug Berry, the Chamber’s vice president for economic development.
Dick Urban, director of TDEC’s regional office in Chattanooga, said there has been no public interest shown in the water permit.
Mike Lee, state environmental specialist, said public comments will be taken through Tuesday.
Contact Randall Higgins at rhiggins@timesfreepress.com or 423-314-1029.