Stormwater bubbles out of a sewer grate off East 28th Street.
Stronger stormwater regulations in Chattanooga are on their way toward passage, and City Council and stormwater board members alike say a late effort by state legislators to withdraw state approval of the new rules likely will not shift local opinions.
The council passed a first reading of the rules Tuesday and will vote on a final reading in two weeks.
The new rules call for stormwater guidelines that exceed the state’s minimum requirements, and builders have said they will raise the cost of development in the Scenic City, driving new projects outside of the city limits.
Initially, the majority of the city’s Stormwater Regulations Board, an appointed advisory committee, shared that sentiment.
But the board unanimously approved the new rules in October, after Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Robert Martineau sent a letter to Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke saying passage of the minimum rules could jeopardize the city’s MS4 stormwater permit.