Skip to Main Content

    Complaint

    55388
    WPC
    6/12/2019
    Email
    Sewage Bypass / Overflow
    6/11/2019
    03-NOV-2023 09:08AM

    Location based on SITE_ID

    Site ID
    5005
    Site
    Rogersville STP
    Location
    620 Flora Lane
    City
    Rogersville
    Description
    Treatment of municipal sewage
    County
    Hawkins
    EFO Name
    Johnson City
    Site Owner
    Town of Rogersville

    Investigation Results

    Issue Resolved
    6/12/2019
    Rogersville
    6/12/2019

    Complaint Description and Writeup

    The complaint is as follows: “On June 5, 2019 there was a clog in the sewer line near my house. This caused the sewer to back up into my basement on Rogan Road in Rogersville. There was 3-4 inches of sewer water in my basement. There is a drain in the floor of my basement that drains out into Crockett Creek beside my house. Most of the sewage drained out into the creek by the next day when I called ServPro and they came. The sewer department came and unclogged the main line. I inquired about what to do about all the sewage in my basement and they seemed unconcerned. This exact same thing happened approximately one year ago but I was home at the time and they unclogged the main line before a lot came into my basement. There is known, frequent, and ongoing problems with the sewer system in Rogersville.”

    Contacted Travis Carpenter, chief operator at Rogersville WWTP. Found that the was a backup in the main line that had gone into a house. Backups into homes have in the past have not been required to be reported as an overflow, so no report was file to TDEC about overflow.

    During a site visit on June 12, 2019 town collection system personnel stated that the sewer clog was responded to on June 5, 2019. It was observed by Rogersville collection system personnel that the back-up into the basement was in an area about four feet in diameter and that less than a liter had gone into the concrete basement. There was no living space affected by the overflow. After the line stoppage was cleared the sewage drained back into the sewer. There was no outfall to the creek observed by Division of Water Resources personnel during the onsite complaint investigation. City personnel stated that they offered to file with the Tennessee Municipal League but that the complainant declined and said that she would file with her own insurance for any damage.

    Rogersville personnel said that there was an overflow to the basement floor drain about one year ago. No quantity was verified but the clog was removed and the water drained to the sewer. This was the only other collection system clog that has been reported at that point.