Hamilton County sewer users outside Chattanooga are facing a 38.9 percent increase.
The Hamilton County Water & Wastewater Treatment Authority Board approved the sewer rate increase at its meeting on Wednesday.
The increase means that users will now pay $6.63 per 1,000 gallons instead of the previous rate of $4.63. After users pass a 100,000-gallon threshold, the fee drops, but that fee has also increased from $3.40 per 1,000 gallons to $4.72.
The WWTA serves users in the unincorporated areas of Hamilton County, East Ridge, Red Bank, Soddy-Daisy, Signal Mountain, Lookout Mountain, Tenn., Ridgeside and Lakesite.
The board made the decision after reviewing costs it says are needed to ensure the sewer system is in compliance with a consent decree handed down to Chattanooga from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
For more information, read Friday’s Times Free Press.
