Chattanooga advances $153 million project to prevent sewer overflows

Construction is progressing on Chattanooga's Environmental and Economic Infrastructure Improvements (e2i2) project, a major component of the Tennessee city’s Clear Chattanooga initiative to reduce sewer overflows and improve water quality. 

The project includes two wet weather equalization stations designed to temporarily store up to 40 million gallons of excess wastewater during heavy rain events. In an official news release, the City of Chattanoga describe how the facilities will prevent untreated overflows from entering South Chickamauga Creek and the Tennessee River, while also adding system capacity to support future development.

At the South Lee Highway site, crews have completed scaffolding, diversion structures, and electrical building foundations for a 10-million-gallon tank visible from Interstate 75. The West Chickamauga facility, located near the I-75/I-24 split, will hold 30 million gallons and is advancing with pump station construction and retaining wall work underway.

Brasfield & Gorrie and Gresham Smith are leading the design-build effort, with Jacobs providing program management. The project is being developed in partnership with the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority and managed through the Chattanooga Industrial Development Board.

“These structures represent one of the largest environmental investments in the city’s history — a visible commitment to protecting our waterways and supporting Chattanooga’s sustainable growth,” said Mark Heinzer, the city’s wastewater department administrator.

The e2i2 project is on schedule for completion in 2027, marking a key milestone in Chattanooga’s compliance with a U.S. EPA consent decree and its long-term plan to modernize wastewater infrastructure.

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