According to Local 3 News, the City of Pikeville, Tennessee, is facing ongoing issues with its sewage treatment plant, highlighted by multiple violation notices from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC).

In July 2025, TDEC issued a violation notice due to high E. coli levels, along with elevated dissolved oxygen, total residual chlorine, and ammonium in the Sequatchie River, indicating potential toxicity. Mayor Philip Cagle responded on August 6, attributing the issues to the aging water treatment plant and difficulties in sourcing obsolete parts, while noting that an outside vendor was conducting river testing.

The city is also constructing a new $20 million wastewater treatment plant, expected to be completed by September 2026. However, in September 2025, TDEC issued another violation notice, stating that the plant violated its permit conditions by discharging pollution into state waterways.

TDEC required Pikeville to post warning signs about potential sewage exposure at all reasonable access points to the Sequatchie River and to conduct weekly E. coli sampling upstream and downstream of the plant until levels normalize. Mayor Cagle responded, stating that new flow meters were ordered, river sampling was underway, and efforts were being made to bring the plant up to standard.

Although TDEC noted improvements in E. coli levels, violations date back to 2016, indicating a persistent issue.