Sewage in Harpeth River worries Eagleville but new sewer system in sight

The stink of bacteria-filled sewage that has plagued Eagleville for years could dissipate sooner than expected.

In a significant change of plans, officials with the city and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation are pursuing a cheaper sewer system than proposed in January and last month, the city traded for a piece of land where it plans to install it.

Its prime real estate for what we want to do, said City Administrator William Haston.

Various efforts to install Eaglevilles first sewer system have failed in recent years, leaving some residents to rely on shoddy septic tanks that allow sewage to puddle in yards and streets and to flow into creeks that feed the Harpeth River. Officials lay out dire scenarios if nothing is done deadly sickness, lawsuits or regulatory penalties but have met with resistance to sewer bill hikes that would come with a new system.

The latest proposal tries to address the cost concern, Haston said, without cutting significant corners on quality. The biggest difference is that the sewage wouldnt be treated to the point that it could be poured directly into the creeks. Instead of a price tag of $4.2 million and a completion date of 2014 for the cutting-edge system proposed before, officials now estimate their cost at about $2 million, with groundbreaking possible by the end of the year.

State officials found problems with the citys earlier proposal, which would have pumped treated sewage into a small creek that couldnt handle the flow. It also could have pushed homeowner sewer bills to about $100 a month.

The city recently traded 20 acres off Main Street for 26 acres off Allisona Road, where officials propose building a septic tank effluent pump (STEP) system that includes tanks at individual properties connected to a treatment system that cleans the sewage and discharges it into a field.

The plan has the support of state environmental officials. If all goes as planned, the citys project should be permitted, approved and constructed before the end of this year, said TDEC spokeswoman Meg Lockhart.

Officials are still trying to secure funding and have pursued grants and loans, including from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and federal Community Development Block Grants.

Haston said the funding should be secured and construction started before the end of the year. He said the city is closer than ever to getting a system and that it has been a long time coming.

Read more:
Sewage in Harpeth River worries Eagleville but new sewer system in sight