Sidewalks Covered In Sewage Near Ridgetop School

Sidewalks Covered In Sewage Near Ridgetop School

RIDGETOP TENNESSEE: (Smokey Barn News) – Citizens in Ridgetop are expressing concerns after discovering that raw sewage is pouring out from the lawn, across the sidewalk and into the street at Watauga Elementary School.

The leak sits on the lawn directly in front of the school located on Hwy 41 at Lake Rd MAP and flows across the sidewalk and into the street where it travels about 700 feet down Hwy 41 to East End Rd. For a student walking up Hwy 41 to school, it would be impossible to miss the strong odor of sewage or even to avoid walking in it because it covers the sidewalk.

There are no cones marking off the leak so if you are walking in front of the school there is no warning. A pedestrian walking on the sidewalk may be tempted to walk in the street to avoid the sewage. On a bicycle, if you rode through the sewage you could find yourself covered in it before you knew it was there. The leak flows intermittently and did so several times Sunday afternoon.

County officials told Smokey Barn News that students that walk to school from across Hwy 41 are supposed to walk up to the crosswalk but many don’t. Cutting over Hwy 41 before the crosswalk would put students directly in the path of the sewage. If you tried cutting across the lawn on the other side of the break you might find yourself walking right into sewage soaked grass.

In our research, Smokey Barn News has learned that the problem has been ongoing for some time but it has yet to be perinatally fixed. Concerned citizens reached out to Smokey Barn News about the issue. Part of the problem may be that the leak sits right at the county line where the sewage transitions from Robertson to Davidson County. We’re told that gravity is supposed to take the sewage down the ridge but there seems to be some issue at the transition point. As you can see in our video report, the leak is not far from one of the school’s playgrounds but is not likely to affect the school itself.

Neighbors nearby have to drive through the sewage to get to their own driveways. It’s not completely clear if the issue is in the Robertson County or Davidson County side but it is an issue that needs to be addressed.

Robertson County School’s released the following statement Sunday afternoon.

“The district is aware of the issue, and Dr. Causey will be reaching out to the city to make sure that our students are not affected, particularly as they travel to and from school.” Robertson County School’s PIO Jim Bellis

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