Septic Tank Pumping in Soddy-Daisy, TN
Soddy-Daisy stretches from Chickamauga Lake to the top of Walden Ridge, and sewer follows only the US 27 corridor between them. We connect Soddy-Daisy homeowners with independent local septic pumping, inspection and repair companies for free, no-obligation quotes.
Get a Free Quote
Two coal towns, one long city
Soddy-Daisy was formed in 1969 by merging Soddy and Daisy along US 27, towns that grew on coal mining from 1867. Poe’s Tavern here was Hamilton County’s first seat of government and later a Trail of Tears waystation. The city covers about 24 square miles at the base of Walden Ridge’s eastern face, with a Chickamauga Lake inlet on lower Soddy Creek and TVA’s Sequoyah Nuclear Plant inside the city limits.
By the ACS 2024 5-year survey the city has 13,231 residents and 5,232 occupied homes, 75.7% owner-occupied, with a median year built of 1989; 43.2% of units went up between 1970 and 1999. Up the ridge, Mowbray Mountain and Flat Top Mountain are almost entirely owner-occupied (88.5% and 97.4%) with median build years of 1992 and 2003.
Sewer, water and soils in Soddy-Daisy
Sewer is WWTA’s, water comes from the Soddy-Daisy Falling Water Utility (authorized by a 1951 private act) and Hixson Utility, and the share of the city on each is not published. The geography is plain enough: the valley floor along US 27 is where lines run, and the lake shore, the hollows and the plateau above are where septic tanks and, in places, private wells do the work. Hamilton County Groundwater Protection sells a $105 bacteria test for well and spring water for that reason.
Soils change with elevation. Walden Ridge is capped by Pennsylvanian sandstone of the Crab Orchard Mountains Group; the valley below is limestone residuum, clay-rich and slow to drain. North Chickamauga Creek, which the City of Chattanooga flags for pathogens, runs through this watershed, and Big Soddy Creek Gulf is one of the nonprofit WaterWays’ weekly summer E. coli sampling sites. On the shoreline, Chickamauga Lake swings from a 675-foot winter pool to 681.5–682.5 feet in summer, which makes shoreline drain fields a seasonal question.
Services Soddy-Daisy homeowners ask about most
- Pumping a 1970s–90s tank. The city’s largest housing cohort is 25 to 55 years old. See septic tank pumping; a 1,000-gallon tank typically runs $225–$400.
- Septic inspection for a lake or ridge property. A septic inspection (typically $100–$200; $250–$1,175 with a camera) pairs well with a county well-water test.
- Drain field trouble in wet months. December through March brings 19.6 inches of rain. An inspection determines whether a field needs work; see drain field repair.
- Backups after a storm: emergency septic service.
Typical national ranges from Fixr (2025) and HomeAdvisor (2026) — estimates, not quotes. The cost guide has the full table.
Ask the pumper for its TDEC Septic Tank Pumping Contractor permit (Rule 0400-48-01-.20) and Hamilton County pumper license; the truck must show the permit number in two-inch letters. Repairs need a TDEC installer permit (Rule .19) and a county installer license, and the owner’s $40 repair permit comes from Hamilton County Groundwater Protection. Check the TDEC DataViewer or the county’s 2026 list. This is general information, not legal advice.
Soddy-Daisy septic questions
Does Soddy-Daisy have sewer, or is everyone on septic?
Both. Soddy-Daisy is a WWTA member municipality and the city lists WWTA as its sewer provider, but no public figure says how much of the city is connected, and ridge and lake-shore roads outside the US 27 corridor were built without lines. Call WWTA at (423) 209-7842 with your address; if no line is available, you are on a septic system.
What is different about a septic system on a Chickamauga Lake lot?
The lake is drawn down to a 675-foot winter pool and held at 681.5 to 682.5 feet in summer, so the water table under shoreline lots moves with the season. Tennessee rules keep tanks and fields at least 50 feet from a water supply. Ask the company how high water affects your field; the effect on any one system is a judgment made on site.
I have a private well. Should I test it when the tank is serviced?
It is a reasonable pairing. Hamilton County Groundwater Protection sells a bacteria test for well or spring water for $105, and the same office handles complaints about malfunctioning septic systems. The pumping company does not run the test, but a septic inspection report plus a current bacteria result gives a buyer or a ridge-top homeowner a complete picture.
Nearby areas
Slow drains or a soggy yard? Get a clear quote first.
Free, no-pressure quotes across Chattanooga, Ooltewah, Soddy-Daisy, Signal Mountain and Hamilton County.