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Cooper: Commission, push for WWTA solutions

Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority workers clear a stand pipe at the Snow Hill pump station in November as part of ongoing maintenance in the utility's sewage lines.
Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority workers clear a stand pipe at the Snow Hill pump station in November as part of ongoing maintenance in the utility's sewage lines. Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority workers clear a stand pipe at the Snow Hill pump station in November as part of ongoing maintenance in the utility's sewage lines.

By Clint Cooper 4 min read

Two massive problems are heading straight for Hamilton County, and one way or another they have to be solved.

Somebody’s going to have be the enemy. The question is who.

One of the problems is the millions of dollars in maintenance and repairs needed on sewage lines in county territory managed by the Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority (WWTA) and the consent decree that is expected from the federal Environmental Protection Agency because of problems with those lines.

The other problem is what to do going forward to expand sewage capacity for the fast-growing northeast end of the county. County commissioners recently said no to granting WWTA a special permit for property at 7800 Mahan Gap Road to build a treatment plant to handle such growth.

Sewage is a dirty word to many in the county these days, but the filth may pale in a few years compared to the cost of rates county residents are going to have to pay for their sewage services.