The first phase of the West Chickamauga Interceptor project was completed and went on line Tuesday, Oct. 20, said building official Mark Lindsay at the Oct. 26 Fort Oglethorpe City Council meeting.

The project began in late 2006, he said.

Lindsay told the council that Fort Oglethorpe’s pump station on Mack Smith Road was shut down, as well as the pump station that belonged to Chattanooga, also located on Mack Smith Road.

Letters to residents in the area were sent out Wednesday, Oct. 21, he said, and people have started paying the fees to tie onto that section of the sewer, which is called the tap fee.

He said there was still some cleanup and grading left to do, but the project is operational.

The sewer line of the second phase of the interceptor project is in the ground and has been tested, Lindsay said.

This portion of the project will shut down Mitchell Acres oxidation pond, which has caused a lot of problems for the city in the past.

“My goal is to have Mitchell Acres on line by this Friday,” Lindsay said. “However, this weather has just been a terrible thing for us.”

He said the rain has them “running a little bit behind.”

There’s also a lot of cleanup left in that phase of the project.

The third and final part of the project, Lindsay said, is “moving right along” in the plan-ning stage.

Lindsay said that phase should be ready to go for bidding in late spring.

“We know it’s going to be a long project. We know it’s going to be a big project,” he said.

After all of the interceptor project is completed, six sewer pumps will be shut down.

Mayor Ronnie Cobb commended the city employees for their hard work and the council members for being “aggressive and progressive” with this project.