JOHN COFFELTEditor

Following two inspections by Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the City of Manchester has been cited for failure to follow its wastewater pretreatment enforcement plan.

According to a letter addressed to Mayor Marilyn Howard, on Feb. 21 and March 5, state personnel conducted a Pretreatment Technical Assistance Visit inspection of the city’s system.

Inspectors found that the four local industries had exceeded local limits listed in permits. According to the report, Significant User Industries, Great Lakes Cheese, Ravago Manufacturing America, Kasia and Batesville Manufacturing, reported exceedances throughout 2023.

The report charges the city for failing to enforce the SIU permit requirements, a violation of the city’s wastewater permit.

The city, the state recommends, should consider applying surcharge fees to these significant users for pretreatment violations as they occur.

The city was required to provide TDEC a written response within 30 days of the notice.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.