Members of the Signal Mountain Town Council heard special presentations about problems with the wastewater infrastructure within the town at the December meeting. Mike Patrick, executive director of WWTA, and engineer Scott McDonald reported that the condition of the system that collects and treats wastewater is unacceptable, hard to fix and very expensive to repair. It is ranked one of the worst systems, Mr. Patrick told the council.
Most of the underground lines and pipes were installed before the 1970’s, when many sewer lines and manholes were positioned in creek beds and ravines, making problems both hard to diagnose and repair. Some of these locations would never be approved today, he said. To move them now would require tearing up the creeks and a lot of clearing, with a staggering cost and impact to the environment. To repair the entire system would be in the “eight figures,” said Mr. Patrick. The WWTA is now working on the concept and the economy of making repairs. The current estimate to repair the county-wide WWTA system for making it conform to the anticipated consent decree is $240 million over 20 years.
The system is made up of a collection system on top of the mountain, which includes a network of sewer mains and the lines from buildings to the mains, and a wastewater treatment plant at the bottom of the mountain. The entire system is in a moratorium because of violations, mostly overflows, Mr. Patrick said. The problems occur during periods of rain when stormwater inflows and infiltrates the system. During dry weather, the treatment plant for Signal Mountain receives about 468,000 to 757,000 gallons per day. That amount can peak at up to 5 million gallons per day during periods of heavy rain.
During dry weather, the plant works pretty well, said Mr. Patrick, despite its age and with very few improvements ever having been made. But rain changes everything. Extra water gets into the system and into the pumping station through large inflows and cracks in underground pipes. The best solution, he said, would be to eliminate the inflow and infiltration and keep it out of the pump station and treatment plant.
The extra $8 per month charge on residential WWTA bills is meant to take care of a sewer line problem involving the home’s service line to the main line, but that charge does not begin to cover the cost of fixing the whole system, said Mr. Patrick. There are also a lot of failed septic systems on Signal Mountain, which further contributes to pollution of the streams.
Signal Mountain stormwater manager Cliff Fite shared a Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation report on the condition of streams on the mountain. They are directly affected by runoff and seepage from septic systems. The TDEC lists four streams on the mountain as having impaired conditions, including Shoal Creek, Bee Branch and Short Creek. These three are all polluted with E. coli, and Bee Branch is also impaired due to sedimentation. Fruedenberg Creek is considered impaired from mining.
Finding a way to repair septic system problems and replace them with hook-ups to the sewer is needed in the Town of Signal Mountain, said Mr. Fite. Because of the underlying bedrock, caves and residential lots without enough room for adequate septic lines, a solution is not simple. Large leaks are easy to identify, but problems are also caused by an accumulation of multiple small leaks in many septic systems, all contributing to runoff pollution. A five-year improvement plan for stormwater problems puts the cost of capital projects in the stormwater system at $300,000 each year. “Our revenues don’t support that kind of spending,” Mr. Fite said.
Councilmembers also discussed improving the Town’s website. Town manager Boyd Veal said that the department heads suggested changes for making the site more functional for both the user and the departments. Mayor Charles Poss would like to engage residents to hear what they want regarding the website. Residents can email suggestions to Sam Guin, special projects and compliance manager, at [email protected]. Mayor Poss also would like to add a direct link on the website for anyone who would like to access the town meetings. Another suggestion is to implement a search tool to find a topic that has been discussed in various meetings.
After much discussion, the councilmembers did not finalize guidelines for the various committee liaisons. Most councilmembers view the liaison position as an observer, not a member of the committee, who would join in the deliberations or vote. Their job would be to report back to the council about decisions made by the committees, councils, and boards. “We’d be an information conduit,” said councilmember Andrew Gardner. The liaison would also communicate to the committee about what the council wants. The mayor also believes that it is everyone’s responsibility to recruit applicants for these bodies when there is a vacancy. Councilmember Dan Landrum would like the liaisons to be able to participate in discussions in the capacity of a private citizen of the town.
Councilmember Vicki Anderson was appointed as a member of the Library board, and Mayor Poss and Vice Mayor Susannah Murdock were appointed to the Municipal Planning Commission.
A salary survey relating to fire and police salaries has been done by the respective department heads and compares Signal Mountain to other local municipalities. The Town also participated in a professional survey conducted by Burris, Thompson and Associates. Once the statewide data from that survey is received, the information will be sent to the town’s personnel committee for recommendations and will be given to the council.
Brian Wright with Johnson, Murphey and Wright gave the annual audit presentation. Signal Mountain received an unmodified opinion, the best opinion you can get, he said. Councilmember Landrum pointed out that the Town has received clean audits for the last four or five years. Mr. Wright stressed that such an accomplishment is rare. Mr. Veal credited the Town’s staff and thanked them for the excellent work they do throughout the year.
Most of the underground lines and pipes were installed before the 1970’s, when many sewer lines and manholes were positioned in creek beds and ravines, making problems both hard to diagnose and repair. Some of these locations would never be approved today, he said. To move them now would require tearing up the creeks and a lot of clearing, with a staggering cost and impact to the environment. To repair the entire system would be in the “eight figures,” said Mr. Patrick. The WWTA is now working on the concept and the economy of making repairs. The current estimate to repair the county-wide WWTA system for making it conform to the anticipated consent decree is $240 million over 20 years.
The system is made up of a collection system on top of the mountain, which includes a network of sewer mains and the lines from buildings to the mains, and a wastewater treatment plant at the bottom of the mountain. The entire system is in a moratorium because of violations, mostly overflows, Mr. Patrick said. The problems occur during periods of rain when stormwater inflows and infiltrates the system. During dry weather, the treatment plant for Signal Mountain receives about 468,000 to 757,000 gallons per day. That amount can peak at up to 5 million gallons per day during periods of heavy rain.
During dry weather, the plant works pretty well, said Mr. Patrick, despite its age and with very few improvements ever having been made. But rain changes everything. Extra water gets into the system and into the pumping station through large inflows and cracks in underground pipes. The best solution, he said, would be to eliminate the inflow and infiltration and keep it out of the pump station and treatment plant.
The extra $8 per month charge on residential WWTA bills is meant to take care of a sewer line problem involving the home’s service line to the main line, but that charge does not begin to cover the cost of fixing the whole system, said Mr. Patrick. There are also a lot of failed septic systems on Signal Mountain, which further contributes to pollution of the streams.
Signal Mountain stormwater manager Cliff Fite shared a Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation report on the condition of streams on the mountain. They are directly affected by runoff and seepage from septic systems. The TDEC lists four streams on the mountain as having impaired conditions, including Shoal Creek, Bee Branch and Short Creek. These three are all polluted with E. coli, and Bee Branch is also impaired due to sedimentation. Fruedenberg Creek is considered impaired from mining.
Finding a way to repair septic system problems and replace them with hook-ups to the sewer is needed in the Town of Signal Mountain, said Mr. Fite. Because of the underlying bedrock, caves and residential lots without enough room for adequate septic lines, a solution is not simple. Large leaks are easy to identify, but problems are also caused by an accumulation of multiple small leaks in many septic systems, all contributing to runoff pollution. A five-year improvement plan for stormwater problems puts the cost of capital projects in the stormwater system at $300,000 each year. “Our revenues don’t support that kind of spending,” Mr. Fite said.
Councilmembers also discussed improving the Town’s website. Town manager Boyd Veal said that the department heads suggested changes for making the site more functional for both the user and the departments. Mayor Charles Poss would like to engage residents to hear what they want regarding the website. Residents can email suggestions to Sam Guin, special projects and compliance manager, at [email protected]. Mayor Poss also would like to add a direct link on the website for anyone who would like to access the town meetings. Another suggestion is to implement a search tool to find a topic that has been discussed in various meetings.
After much discussion, the councilmembers did not finalize guidelines for the various committee liaisons. Most councilmembers view the liaison position as an observer, not a member of the committee, who would join in the deliberations or vote. Their job would be to report back to the council about decisions made by the committees, councils, and boards. “We’d be an information conduit,” said councilmember Andrew Gardner. The liaison would also communicate to the committee about what the council wants. The mayor also believes that it is everyone’s responsibility to recruit applicants for these bodies when there is a vacancy. Councilmember Dan Landrum would like the liaisons to be able to participate in discussions in the capacity of a private citizen of the town.
Councilmember Vicki Anderson was appointed as a member of the Library board, and Mayor Poss and Vice Mayor Susannah Murdock were appointed to the Municipal Planning Commission.
A salary survey relating to fire and police salaries has been done by the respective department heads and compares Signal Mountain to other local municipalities. The Town also participated in a professional survey conducted by Burris, Thompson and Associates. Once the statewide data from that survey is received, the information will be sent to the town’s personnel committee for recommendations and will be given to the council.
Brian Wright with Johnson, Murphey and Wright gave the annual audit presentation. Signal Mountain received an unmodified opinion, the best opinion you can get, he said. Councilmember Landrum pointed out that the Town has received clean audits for the last four or five years. Mr. Wright stressed that such an accomplishment is rare. Mr. Veal credited the Town’s staff and thanked them for the excellent work they do throughout the year.
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