By Katie Northcott, News Director
According to documents obtained by Peterson Media Group and statements made by Manchester Mayor Joey Hobbs, it appears Hobbs has directly approved five sewer taps during a self-imposed moratorium.
The self-imposed moratorium was ordered by the Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation (TDEC) due to chronic overflowing manholes. The city is also under scrutiny from the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Since April 2024, when it was discovered that Manchester had failed to report chronic manhole overflows, TDEC issued self-imposed moratorium orders on manholes A39, A43, B43, I141, and G113.
Below is the letter issued by TDEC for manholes A39 and A43.
A manhole is considered chronic if it overflows five or more times in one year.
In response to the self-imposed moratorium order from TDEC, the Manchester Water and Sewer Department responded, “The City of Manchester is not selling new taps above the location of chronic manholes. The City of Manchester is not providing building permits above chronic manholes.”
The city’s response letter is published below.
In a Water and Sewer Commission meeting in October 2025, Hobbs said that he had approved four sewer taps since becoming mayor in August 2024.
“I guess the mayor’s office has the final say, right? But we have to do things in order to do that,” Hobbs said.
Hobbs went on to explain that he believed that through repairs and upgrades, the Water and Sewer Department (WSD) had removed enough demand on the sewer system to allow for the taps.
“Since I’ve been mayor, I’ve given out four taps in existing neighborhoods because somebody split a lot into a piece, and that’s rated at 300 gallons a day, and we’ve worked hard enough that we’ve taken that much out,” Hobbs said. “You have to remove enough I&I so that you don’t treat more.”
However, some of the manholes near taps approved by Hobbs continue to overflow, indicating the manholes are still being overloaded, especially during storms when rain and groundwater add to the load being treated. The process of water from sources other than domestic wastewater entering sanitary sewers is known as Inflow and Infiltration (I&I).
Two weeks after the October commission meeting, Hobbs approved a sewer tap near manholes A39 and A43. Both qualify as chronic manholes based on number of overflows this year and were put under self-imposed moratorium orders in 2024 (see document above).
Below is a report showing overflows at manholes A39 and A43. A39 experienced five overflows in 2025 and A43 experienced seven.
An email from Hobbs’ Executive Administrative Assistant to Water and Sewer Director Lonnie Foley, realtor Mitch Umbarger, and Water and Sewer Office Manager Jennifer Hall shows Hobbs approving the sewer tap. Foley later forwarded the email to Dana Douglas, former Water and Wastewater Operations Manager.
“Good morning, Mayor Hobbs has reviewed and approved the tap on Park Street for Mitch Umbarger. Mr. Umbarger will come in today to complete the purchase,” the email read.
Peterson Media Group confirmed that Umbarger completed the purchase.
The email is pictured below.
Some Water and Sewer Department employees are uncomfortable with Hobbs’ decision to approve sewer taps near chronic manholes.
Peterson Media Group obtained a handwritten and signed statement from a Water and Sewer employee who witnessed Hobbs pressuring another employee to approve permits.
The employees involved in the incident have been granted anonymity due to fear of retaliation. The statement reads as follows:
I [name redacted] witnessed third party phone call of Mayor Joey Hobbs forcing [name redacted] to pass permits around chronic manhole areas.
Over the course of 2025, several WSD employees have resigned, including former Water and Sewer Director Jeff Perry. Perry cited concerns about “ethical practices within city operations.” Find reporting on Perry’s resignation here.
Water and Wastewater Operations Manager Dana Douglas, Chief Plant Operator & Pretreatment Coordinator Emily Bull, and Wastewater Plant Operator Austin Haithcote also resigned last year.
Water and Sewer Commission Chairman Mike Anderson and Vice Chairman Nelson Watson resigned on Jan. 13. Find that story here.
The EPA sent a letter to the city in 2025. The letter stated that Manchester could be subject to fines of around $70,000 or $30,000 per day for violations of the Clean Water Act. The city could also be subject to criminal penalties if the violations are not fixed.
Hobbs signed the EPA letter on September 26, 2025, over a month prior to approving the sewer tap for Umbarger.
See the extent of TDEC’s communication with the City of Manchester HERE.
Peterson Media Group has reached out to Hobbs’ office for comment.
(NOTE: Tiffany Sebourn contributed to this reporting)
The post Manchester Mayor Approves Sewer Tap Near Chronic Manholes During Moratorium appeared first on Thunder Radio.
