Sewer rates for more than 30,000 homes and businesses outside of Chattanooga in Hamilton County will go up 12% next month to pay for ongoing sewer upgrades needed to meet federal water pollution standards.
The Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority (WWTA) announced Thursday that county sewer rates will increase by some of the biggest amounts ever even though Chattanooga sewer charges are not going up this fall. The city sewer system, which boosted rates 9.8% a year ago, is forgoing any increase in sewer rates this fall after making a number of upgrades mandated under its consent agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Michael Patrick, executive director of the WWTA, acknowledged “it’s a terrible time to have to raise rates” in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic that has thrown thousands of Chattanooga area workers out of a job.
“But we didn’t get to take a Covid break with EPA,” he said.
Michael Patrick / File photoThe WWTA has been negotiating with federal regulators for more than five years to try to reach an agreement on sewer upgrades needed to address ongoing water pollution violations. The WWTA inherited aging sewer systems from seven municipalities and faces other challenges from new developments in areas that don’t have sewers and suffer from pollution runoff problems.