NORRIS, Tenn. (WATE) — The City of Norris is establishing a new stormwater utility to deal with sewage spills.

City council voted to pass the resolution to establish the utility at their meeting on March 11. The utility will manage the city’s water.

The change comes after the city was sent a letter from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) in 2022, penalizing them for violations of water quality regulations.

The violations resulted in a more than $20,000 fine. An upfront payment of more than $4,000 was required immediately, but payment of the rest of the fine is contingent on whether or not the city makes repairs.

The sewage spills happen after stormwater runs into the city’s sewer system, creating an unmanageable influx of water to the waste treatment facility. The sewage has been spilling into Buffalo Creek.

Norris resident Larry Sadler said it seems the issues regarding the city’s water have been ongoing.

“I’ve lived here for 11 years now and I don’t think it’s something that everybody didn’t know about, it’s just that can being kicked down the trail. We had a water commission and the way I understood it, they all resigned a year ago,” Sadler said.

Norris Mayor Chris Mitchell tells WATE creating a stormwater utility is a less costly option than building a new water treatment plant. The city hasn’t yet decided the monthly fee residents will pay to fund the department, but some employees at Shimmerz Salon worry about a rising water bill.

“Since we have opened here our water bill has doubled, it went from like $65 a month to $125, which makes it hard for us being a small business and doing hair and using so much water we have to incorporate that into our prices we charge our clients,” Michelle Murphy said.

The environmental impact and where their water is coming from is another concern for residents.

“It’s scary and it definitely makes you not want to use the water from your faucet at all, and it does make you think about buying a filtration system for your house,” Amy Danner, another Shimmerz employee said.

The creation of the utility is the first step in fixing the spillover issue and avoid paying the full TDEC fine. Sadler is glad the city is taking action.

“No one’s going to like the answer, those things never happen easy, and it’ll go on from there. I’m happy that at least they’re doing something,” he said.