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City presents program to bring privately located development ponds into compliance
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Summary
City stormwater staff presented a single‑family residential pond program to inspect and repair privately located development ponds citywide; staff said about 1,600 ponds exist in Chattanooga and a little over 200 are on single‑family parcels, with repairs that can range from $10,000–$50,000.
Maria Price, assistant city engineer and stormwater division director, told the Chattanooga City Council on Feb. 24 that the new single‑family residential (SFR) pond program is intended to bring privately located development ponds into functional compliance. "We have probably 1,600 ponds in the city and a little over 200 of those are on parcels with a single family home," Price said. She added that needed repairs can range from "$10 to $50,000," creating an "unfair burden" for homeowners.
Price described program steps: staff inspects ponds, identifies erosion, concrete or vegetative stabilization needs, carries out the work under an inspection and maintenance agreement, then returns responsibility for routine mowing and aesthetics to the homeowner. "We can make sure that we can fix their erosion issues ... and we have an inspection and maintenance agreement that they are then required to sign," she said.
In response to council questions, Price said the city coordinates with the city attorney to obtain permission to enter private property through an attorney‑approved temporary construction permission form and that staff confirms homeowner satisfaction before leaving a site. Councilman Elliott asked how the city handles liability or damage from working on private property; Price said staff uses the permission form and the inspection agreement to clarify responsibilities and post‑work expectations.
Price said the program will allow staff to work on roughly 40 ponds a year on a rotating inspection schedule so that each pond is inspected about once every five years. She characterized some ponds as convertible to other stormwater control measures ("They don't necessarily just have to be a pond. They could be a dry pond or a wet pond") and said the program aims to restore functionality for water‑quality and quantity controls.
The council did not take a formal vote on program funding during the meeting. Price noted some applications have already been received and staff is prioritizing outreach to ponds known to be out of compliance.
