On Monday, Feb. 9, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) issued a Commissioner’s Order and Assessment (COA) to the City of Manchester stating the city had violated the Water Quality Control Act.
TDEC sent the order to Peterson Media Group 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. This approval appears to have violated TDEC’s self-imposed moratorium order. Find that story here.
TDEC’s COA states that from January to December 2025 the city failed to comply with the “limitations and conditions” set forth in its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. As a result, the city has been assessed a $146,000 civil penalty. The city must pay $29,200 to the Tennessee Division of Fiscal Services within 31 days of Feb. 9…