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Collier Construction gets most of penalty for water quality violations waived

Staff file photo by Abby White / On July 14, 2025, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission Chair Ethan Collier speaks during a meeting. Collier is appealing nearly $40,000 in civil penalties assessed by the state for his construction company's violations in connection with the Kellys Ferry Hideaway neighborhood in Lookout Valley. Staff file photo by Abby White / On July 14, 2025, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission Chair Ethan Collier speaks during a meeting. Collier is appealing nearly $40,000 in civil penalties assessed by the state for his construction company's violations in connection with the Kellys Ferry Hideaway neighborhood in Lookout Valley.

By Emily Crisman October 28, 2025 5 min read

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Division of Water Resources is forgiving most of the civil penalty of $39,640 it assessed Ethan Collier Construction Co. for violations of the Water Quality Control Act at the Kellys Ferry Hideaway neighborhood, company owner Ethan Collier said in an interview.

Collier is chair of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission.

The company had already completed the corrective actions it was ordered to take in a Sept. 12 director’s order for failing to obtain the required permit or install or maintain erosion and sediment control measures at the Lookout Valley site, said Collier, who appealed the director’s order Oct. 9.

“We made a mistake, and we own it,” Collier said of the company’s failure to obtain the required permit and fulfill its requirements. “Whether or not we should be assessed $7,000 in penalties is up to an appeals committee.”