Clear Chattanooga @ Work

Equalization Stations

Program Map

External link to Project Locations and Details

Quality. Water. Life.

Watch the Full Video

Chattanooga in 50 years has gone from being the most polluted city in America to a celebrated renaissance community. The natural resources that frame the city – the Tennessee River, Lookout and Signal Mountains – combined with an 18-mile Riverwalk make Chattanooga a great place to live, work and play. 

The revitalization of Chattanooga began with a focus on water through the construction of the country’s only freshwater aquarium. This development on the shores of the Tennessee River sparked a multi-year commitment to use the natural resources of the community as the foundations for revitalizing the downtown, restoring the relationship between natural resources and a great mid-size city.

Project Highlight

Overflowing Manhole

The Current Problem

Portions of our wastewater infrastructure system are reaching the end of their useful life. This contributes to failures in the wastewater system. These failures mostly occur during heavy rain events when there is not enough capacity in the wastewater system for the high volume of stormwater and wastewater. This can lead to sanitary sewer overflows (or SSOs) SSOs pose a potential threat to public health, the environment, and the City’s economic development.

Committed to Change

The City of Chattanooga is committed to providing the best water quality and wastewater service. Clear Chattanooga is the City’s community-wide improvement plan to decrease the number of SSOs and to meet the terms of its Consent Decree agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency, the State of Tennessee and the Tennessee Clean Water Network (TCWN). 
What is the Consent Decree?
Public Document Repository
Download the Consent Decree

The Solution

Clear Chattanooga includes major upgrades and revisions to portions of the wastewater system including pipe rehabilitation, pump station improvements, upgrades to the Moccasin Bend Environmental Campus and comprehensive operational audits.

Clear Chattanooga’s Comprehensive 3R Approach:
3R - Restore

Restore

optimal functionality and capacity to the wastewater system.

3R - Repair

Repair

the system and prevent chronic overflows.

3R - Replace

Replace

aging infrastructure that is beyond good use.

Clear Chattanooga’s 3R approach is being managed in two major phases.

Phase 1 involves the rehabilitation of high-priority wastewater pipelines, upgrades to pump stations, reliability and capacity improvements to the Moccasin Bend Environmental Campus and the installation of high-priority equalization stations in areas with recurring SSOs. These stations will temporarily store the excess wastewater and stormwater following heavy rain events until the system can handle it.

Phase 2 includes the continued repair and replacement of wastewater pipelines throughout the system and the installation of the remaining planned equalization stations.

Consent Decree Program Update Story Map
Check out our work in your area on our Program Map
Friars Branch

Friar’s Branch

Moccasin Bend Wastewater Treatment Plant

Moccasin Bend Environmental Campus

Citico PS Reliability Project
Citico Pump Station Reliability Project

The Benefits of Clear Chattanooga

These improvements to the City’s wastewater infrastructure are vital to the system’s health and the City’s future. They will enhance the community’s quality of life and make Chattanooga an even better place to live, work and play.

Clear Chattanooga will

Support the City’s commitment to protect our community’s water quality through the significant reduction of Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs).

Restore the wastewater treatment infrastructure necessary to sustain regional growth demands.

Help facilitate a healthy, thriving population free from water-related environmental threats.

Provide up-to-date information regarding ongoing infrastructure projects, along with opportunities to provide feedback.

Ultimately, Clear Chattanooga

Improves quality of life for all Chattanooga citizens.

Creates peace of mind during recreational activities.

Preserves the prized possession of our city: the natural environment.

Man and Woman kayaking on the river together