By Katie Northcott, News Director
At the Water and Sewer Commission meeting on Thursday, March 5, Manchester Mayor Joey Hobbs said that the City of Manchester did not plan to appeal a $146,000 fine leveled by TDEC.
TDEC issued a Commissioner’s Order and Assessment (COA), informing the city of the fine, on Feb. 9. The city had 31 days from the date of the order’s issuance to either appeal the order or pay an upfront allocation of $29,200. Hobbs said at the commission meeting that the city would pay the $29,200 and that if the city complies with the conditions laid out in the order, the rest of the fine will be waived.
At the commission meeting and at a Water and Sewer Town Hall held by the city on Wednesday, March 11, Hobbs assured commission and members of the public that the city plans to comply fully with the TDEC order and avoid paying any more of the fine.
TDEC leveled the fine against the city after the city failed to comply with the “limitations and conditions” set forth in its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. According to TDEC, the city experienced 108 sanitary sewer overflows during 2025, which resulted in over 25,000,000 gallons of overflow.
TDEC sent the order to Peterson Media Group on Feb. 11 in response to a request for comment regarding evidence that Manchester Mayor Joey Hobbs had personally approved a sewer tap that flowed to chronic overflowing manholes.
Find more reporting on the TDEC order here.
The order is available for download below.
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