Environmental Organization Tennessee Riverkeeper plans to sue Monterey for allegedly exceeding sewer discharge limits.
Scientist Barry Sulkin said the issue was discovered during the organization’s monthly review of the discharge reports around the Tennessee and Cumberland River watersheds. Sulkin said these limits can be exceeded when wastewater is not treated enough because of poor operation, mechanical failure, or the age of the system.
“Often it’s not treated to that level required by the permit and/or there are discharges of untreated sewage, usually when it rains, at manholes or pump stations,” Sulkin said. “And all those are violations.”
Sulkin said the town has a total of sixty days to respond. Sulkin said the group may not have to file a lawsuit if the town fixes the problem or makes an agreement or settlement to address it.
“Usually we’ll turn that settlement into a court order so it’s enforceable,” Sulkin said. “But generally we get cooperation.”
Sulkin said excess sewage discharge can cause various issues such as lower dissolved oxygen levels, blooming algae, and the presence of disease-causing organisms from the wastewater. Sulkin said these problems make the water unhealthy for aquatic life and unsafe for recreation.
“It’s assumed by most people that discharges such as this will be clean as required,” Sulkin said. “The reality is often there are exceedances… These failures are not always addressed, at least not quickly or efficiently by the government agency. Sometimes they go on for years.”
Sulkin said the discharge reports that the group analyzes are public information that can be found online. Sulkin said the reports can still be difficult to access and understand even though they are publicly available.
“TDEC, the state agency, has a website where you can see some information,” Sulkin said. “As does EPA, where data is fed in. And then sometimes we have to call and request things that we can’t find there but we know exist.”
