By Marla Dalrymple
Staff Writer

This gray, muddy mess is the result of a sewer spill on the Little Tennessee River Greenway which occurred earlier this month. Town Manager Sam Greenwood advocates “Paying close attention and using better efforts to mark the area.”

On Jan. 8, approximately 200 to 300 gallons of untreated wastewater flowed into Frog Branch. This leakage was reportedly caused by debris in the line. On March 4, more than 1,000 gallons of untreated wastewater leaked from manhole T5-11-2 on the Greenway due to heavy rainfall.

These “inflow and infiltration” spills are usually a direct result of excessive storm water, exceeding system capacity and causing untreated water to gush out and into the river unhindered. One solution would be to install a device to catch overflow immediately once system capacity is met. Reports suggest that the town has responded to the problem by sending trucks to simply spray and pump debris back into the river.

The sewer line along the Greenway was put in approximately six or seven years ago. Town Alderman Bob Scott attributes the spills to “so much concrete, asphalt and roof in Franklin. The system was not built for this capacity.” Pictured here is raw sewage containing a tampon.

“There are a lot of kids who play in that area,” said Sanders. A notice was published in media outlets, but no signage is visible at the physical location of the sewage spills.

When fecal matter mixes with sediment, bacterial growth is over-stimulated. “Nobody wants to feel like they can’t go into their creek,” said Sanders. “Just think of the heritage of Southern Baptists who still practice baptisms in local waters.”

Kay Coriell, President of the Friends of the Greenway group, says the problem has existed since before the Greenway was put in.

“We feel it is a considerable problem and approached town aldermen two years ago,” said Coriell. “It’s unhealthy and unsanitary, and it’s about time for some good action on it. The current aldermen have inherited this problem and have to solve it.”

The Macon County Public Health Center has been advised of the current situation on the Greenway. Barry Patterson with Environmental Health said his department would step in if the problem became a local health risk in which people are in direct contact with the sewage.

“Many towns have similar problems,” said Patterson. “If it was an area with a lot of potential contact, we would block it off, but where it is leaking now, it flushes almost immediately back into the river.”

Sanders sent a letter to the mayor and board of aldermen in July of last year requesting the town bump the Greenway spill up on their list of priorities for repairs.

“I know it will be costly to fix,” said Sanders, “so I offered to help identify funding sources so that we can reach a solution we could support to reach the goal faster.” Sanders did not receive a response and was not notified of any repairs.

Coriell suggested the possibility of the town and county working together to establish a county-wide sewage commission.

“Then maybe we would be in a better position to raise the money and handle the situation in a larger fashion,” she said.

“In Georgia,” said Sanders, “they levy fines to encourage people to fix such problems. I think it would be a pretty good motivation.” The state agency that would be responsible for executing fines, the Division of Water Quality, has also been notified of the spills, but has not implemented any fines for the town of Franklin.

Newly appointed Franklin Town Manager Sam Greenwood said that the state is holding off on fines because the town is actively trying to fix the problem. “It is just a matter of going through the steps to get it done,” said Greenwood.

Greenwood said that the sewer line is backing up along the Greenway because the pumps at the station cannot handle the excessive flow during storms. He reports that the town is in the process of drawing up plans and getting permits to upgrade the pumps at the wastewater treatment station. “We should be getting the financing approved within the next couple of months,” said Greenwood, “and then we can start addressing the problem.”

“The immediate problem is the pump station,” said Greenwood, “but we’re also working on eliminating infiltration into the system from ground water and storm water.”

According to Greenwood, underground tree roots can pull pipes apart, allowing water into the town sewer line and using its capacity.

“There is a high potential of back-up during storms,” said Greenwood about the current situation. As far as providing signage to alert the public to possible contamination, Greenwood said the areas should be marked off during a spill. “We’ll pay close attention to that and use better efforts to mark the area.”

Town Alderman Bob Scott said the town has been aware of the problem and tries to respond quickly in applying lime to spill sites. “The problem is worse and worse storm water runoff,” said Scott. “It wasn’t such a problem when the system was built.” The sewer line along the Greenway was put in approximately six or seven years ago.

According to Scott, the infrastructure of the town has not kept up with its growth. “Now there is so much concrete, asphalt and roof in Franklin and not enough grassy areas and parks to provide natural absorption, so it just runs off. The system was not built for this capacity,” said Scott. “It is overloaded.”

Patterson agrees that the system must be upgraded to reflect the growth of the town. “The sewer system is old,” said Patterson. “When a lot of fresh water gets in, the manholes along the river surge.”

Scott says that the town is working on fixing this expensive problem and says he hopes something can be done sooner than later.

“It’s a big problem,” said Sanders. “We need to work toward a solution.” Until then, it will remain a problem that visitors to the Greenway are likely to experience, and avoid, following any significant rainfall this spring.