The City of Chattanooga entered a consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the State of Tennessee and the Tennessee Clean Water Network (TCWN) on April 24, 2013. The overarching goal of the agreement is to significantly reduce, and where possible eliminate, sanitary sewer overflows and improve the overall operations of Chattanooga’s sewer system.
In the agreement, the City agreed to embark on a multi-year, $250 million project that includes major upgrades and revisions to several sections of the system including pipe replacement, upgrades to the Moccasin Bend Environmental Campus and operational audits across the board.
The agreement also includes $800,000 to be spent on a Supplemental Environmental Project, $238,000 for a State environmental project and a $238,000 civil penalty paid to the United States. This agreement also serves as the settlement of a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the EPA and the TCWN in 2010.