Steve Leach and Loretta Hopper have been appointed to serve as representatives on the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority board of commissioners.  

Ms. Hopper is a 20-year veteran with the town of Signal Mountain and has served as the director of Public Works for 16 of those years.  She has 30 years of experience as a civil engineer. She has worked for several private engineering firms in Arizona, Tennessee and Texas.  Ms. Hopper also has other municipal experience having worked for an Arizona town of about 30,000 people in the engineering department, for eight years, before moving to Chattanooga.  

Ms. Hopper is a member of the Tennessee Chapter of the American Public Works Association.  She is a past board member and is an instructor for the Tennessee Public Works Institute.  As a board member she received the Charles Walter Nichols Award for Environmental Excellence for Outstanding and Meritorious Achievement in the Public Works Field in 2014.

Ms. Hopper is currently a board member for the Tennessee Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America and a certified Solid Waste Professional.  She is also a member of the Tennessee Recycling Coalition.

Ms. Hopper said, “As the representative for Signal Mountain, I am aware of the challenges of an aging and overburdened infrastructure.  We are a small community, but we are facing the same challenges and issues as the rest of the county.  WWTA is a dedicated group of professionals committed to working towards solving these issues.  I am honored to be asked to be a part of this important process and look forward to making a difference in not only my community but the surrounding county as well.”

Ms. Hopper and her husband currently reside in Walden.

Mr. Leach served 31 years as a land planner for the Chattanooga Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency.  Mr. Leach also led the Public Works Department for the city of Chattanooga for eight years.  He is also a 28-year veteran of the U.S. Army in both Active and Reserve roles.  

Mr. Leach holds a bachelors degree in Economics as well as a masters degree in Planning.  He also has a doctor of juris prudence degree. He and his wife reside in East Ridge.

Mr. Leach said, “WWTA provides a critical service of utilizing a sanitary sewer system for the orderly and safe development within our community. In addition, WWTA’s program to rehabilitate existing sewer systems is crucial to achieving a healthy environment for all our citizens.”

Board Chair Dick Gee said, “We are excited to welcome Loretta and Steve to the WWTA board of commissioners. They will bring new insights and enthusiasm to this board and we look forward to working with them.” 

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