Chattanooga wet weather facility advances

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Shimmick Construction announced today that they expect to be awarded a major upcoming project in our area. The City of Chattanooga will officially announce the winner on June 1.

It is the fourth phase of a wet weather facility going next to the Tennessee River.

This facility will help the environment by treating stormwater before it goes into the river.

The project includes the construction of a treatment tank. It will add roughly 75 jobs to Chattanooga and a trained workforce to the community.

After construction is finished, wastewater will be stored in a tank, pumped to a wastewater treatment plant, be treated and then released into the river.

Steve Richards is the Chief Executive Officer of Shimmick. “The Tennessee River is huge to your local economy, from the standpoint of, it’s your water supply, it’s your recreation, it’s really vital for the city,” Richards said. “And so, the upside of this is that it’s gonna keep the Tennessee River clean, for the fisheries and for everyone that wants to use it and the clean water that comes out of it.”

Chattanooga has been working on this program since 2013. They started this project to treat the wastewater coming from storms, and this newest addition is part of that program.

Shimmick Construction placed their bid on the project on February 23. They expect to find out if they have received the award by June 1.

If awarded, Shimmick plans to start construction the same month. They would finish construction by June 2025.

The location of the facility will be by the river, west of Highway 153.

Shimmick will minimize disruption to the environment and community during construction. In one example, Richards said a nearby trail may be detoured, but will not close. No businesses, roads or community services will be shut down, according to Richards.

He also stated that the city is about halfway done with their wet weather program.

Courtesy: Shimmick