Ringgold City Council on Monday, Oct. 12, met with Catoosa County commissioners Dewayne Hill and Jim Cutler to discuss building a $1.6 million pump station near Tiger Creek and U.S. 41. Homes in the area currently use septic tanks.

“We’re trying to provide sanitary sewer access to all areas of Ringgold,” city manager Dan Wright said.

The pump station has the potential to serve sewer lines that would travel to Sugar Town, East Chickamauga Creek, Catoosa Springs and Shookville service areas.

The cost to run sewer lines to all these areas will be about $7.3 million.

Wright said having a pump station to serve these areas, in particular, 1-75 exit 345 to Truck City, will spur economic development.

“This particular area has never had sewer service and that has limited commercial growth,” Wright said. “The area has had a hard time getting hotels and businesses.”

Hill said he was in “full agreement” with the council and that he had been pushing for a sewerage project to reach these areas for more than two years.

Wright said the project will be paid for with special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) funds. He said there will be a 12-month design and permitting process, followed by a 12- to 18-month construction process.

The project will be presented to the Catoosa County Board of Commissioners during its next meeting, Tuesday, Oct. 20. The board will decide whether to go forward with the project.