Original Date: 04/22/1996
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

The City of Chattanooga was the first municipality in the State of Tennessee to develop internal ordinances and requirements to control erosion and to obtain a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.

Chattanooga took a proactive approach to stormwater management in 1988 with an initial goal controlling erosion for aesthetic purposes. These efforts resulted in a series of Best Management Practices to control erosion and sedimentation from land-disturbing activities. The Best Management Practices were documented in a manual and covered a variety of topics such as stabilization of denuded areas and soil stockpiles, establishment of permanent vegetation, protection of adjacent properties, sediment trapping measures, controlling off-site erosion, storm sewer inlet protection, and others. The Stormwater Best Management Practices manual also documented minimum City of Chattanooga stormwater control requirements for granting construction permits, and standards and specifications for a variety of conservation practices such as temporary gravel construction entrances, installation of various types of temporary sediment barriers, streambank stabilization, topsoiling, seeding/sodding, and others.

Chattanooga also uses a contractor certification program to ensure contractor awareness of the City's stormwater management requirements. Over 300 contractors have attended this certification program which has been a very successful education tool. Pre-testing of contractors on the City’s requirements has indicated a typical score of 50%, with a high majority of contractors passing the program's post-test to receive their certification. The City also employs eight water quality analysts that inspect construction sites as part of their normal duties.

Following the passage of the federal Clean Water Act in 1990, in order to comply with and obtain a National Polllution Discharge Elimination System permit from the State of Tennessee for stormwater discharges, the City of Chattanooga began a pollution prevention program to supplement the existing erosion/sedimentation control program for those businesses who are not specifically covered by the National Polllution Discharge Elimination System requirements. The department has organized its program by watersheds and has funded large scale baseline testing to determine stream health within the City at 22 biological sites.

Chattanooga is cognizant of its role as a protector of the natural waterways that are an important feature of the City. The continuation of existing and initiation of new efforts to prevent additional pollution or sedimentation of these waterways, whether by regulations or public education, continue to be an important part of Chattanooga's environmental stewardship.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.