EPA Lets Rhea County Off Easy

The Tennessee Valley has experienced an unusually wet fall, with much of that moisture coming in a short period flooding a wide area.

One community that is usually hit hard is Greysville in Rhea county---but not this year.

The efforts of county leaders to stop the flash flooding resulted in a fine from the EPA---but it worked.

After months of frustration with bureaucracy at the EPA and state agencies, Rhea county officials took a crew out to Roaring Creek and rebuilt the bridge. They also shored up the bank. That's the same creek you heard about in 2005 and 2006 when any 4 inch rain sent people running to higher ground. County manager Billy Ray Patton said neighbors had been demanded something be done, so he jumped a bit ahead of those government permits.

BILLY RAY PATTON, RHEA COUNTY EXECUTIVE "Well...they said we did some channalization we shouldn't have done..and they said we also did some string bank stabilization we shouldn't have done."

That work resulted in threats and a fine which was in the works for more than three years. As of this week the county knows it got off light.

BILLY RAY PATTON, RHEA COUNTY EXECUTIVE "They assessed a fine of 5-thousand dollars ...But the fine was to be split between the contractor and Rhea county. And we gladly paid the fine because we felt like it could have been a lot worse."

Neighbors along that tricky mountain stream saw the worst flooding in 2005 and 2006, and they figured for a while there wasn't much that could be done. But most agreed the narrow bridge on Pikeville avenue was prone to stop up with brush and debris, sending the flood waters right into their yards. The widening of the bridge seems to have stopped that...at least heavy rains of the last two months did not create a problem.

DOYLE CREASMAN, PIKEVILLE AVENUE "A couple two or three years ago...it like to took us all out...since they have fixed the creek...put a new bridge in..I feel like its helped."

Not everybody is convinced..

BARBARA HUGHES, LIVES NEXT TO ROARING CREEK "I don't have any faith in the creek...and til they do something different to build it up, I don't think I will."

The real test may lie ahead but for now...the county is off EPA's hitlis, and the waters have not jumped the banks of Roaring Creek.

Billy Ray Patton says the main complaint from EPA was that the county used river rock instead of quarried rock along the banks of the creek.

That work has since been re-done.