Sanitary concerns for the Ironman competition

You couldn’t miss the sign on the Riverwalk along the Tennessee River that read, ‘Avoid physical contact with area. Exposure to water may cause a health risk.’ Justin Holland, Chattanooga Public Works said, "We had a sewer overflow at our Citico pump station where the sewer was overflowing at one man hole for approximately 20 minutes." Moccasin Bend Waste Water Treatment Plant followed standard procedures and put up the sign last Friday. Holland said, "There was really minimal impact to the river. There’s no risk of health or safety to the public in the river at this time. The only immediate risk was in the immediate area at the man hole where the sewer was actually over flowing."

Sanitation issues in the Tennessee River were questioned several weeks ago after a sewer rupture killed thousands of fish near Chickamauga Creek. The City of Chattanooga said the polluted water will not have any impact on the Ironman competition this weekend. Bob Doak with the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau says he still anticipates a large economic impact coming to the Scenic City. Doak said, "We believe that the direct economic impact will be about 8 million this week."

Road closure preparations for the Ironman competition are set to begin Wednesday.