Mount Carmel files appeal after TDEC fines

The Town of Mount Carmel has filed an appeal after the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation ordered the town to pay up to $187,800 in total civil penalties for violating its wastewater permit. The appeal calls the total potential penalty amount “punitive and excessive.” On June 11, TDEC filed the order, alleging numerous violations of the Water Quality Control Act of 1977. The violations stemmed from alleged incidents at the town’s sewage treatment plant, some of which the town admitted to and some of which it denied. If it meets certain benchmarks, the town could avoid paying all but around 40 thousand dollars of the total amount. As of Tuesday, a TDEC spokesperson said the appeal had not yet been placed on the docket.