The City of Cookeville Water and Sewer Department is being sued by a nonprofit environmental group for allegedly discharging sewage into streams and creeks that feed into the Cumberland River. This is affecting aquatic life and contaminating waterways used for boating, fishing, swimming, and other recreational uses.

The city’s sewage treatment plant has been cited for violations more than 300 times in the past five years, with over 10 million gallons of untreated sewage released during that time period, state records cited in the lawsuit show.

The lawsuit is seeking a declaration from the court that Cookeville has violated the federal Clean Water Act, an injunction to prevent them from continuing to do so, a $59,000 fine, and payment of other costs associated with the legal action.