Lebanon, Tennessee, still has four places it could build its next wastewater treatment plant. No sites were removed at the Oct. 20 Lebanon City Council meeting, and a final location has not been chosen, WZTV reported. The next regular council meeting is Nov. 17; the Nov. 3 meeting was canceled for Election Day.
The new plant is one of the largest public works projects ahead for the Wilson County seat. Mayor Rick Bell has said the existing plant on Hartmann Drive, which dates to 1963, is aging and nearing capacity, according to an earlier WZTV report. The city says it needs a replacement to keep up as Lebanon grows.
The four sites
A city committee reviewed 22 potential sites before narrowing the list to three. Site 13 now also has a larger version, Site 13a, so the Lebanon Democrat lists four:
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- Site 7, near Oriole Drive and Horn Springs Road, outside the city limits
- Site 13, the Rockwood property on Hartmann Drive, about 2,000 feet north of the current plant
- Site 13a, which adds some residential property to Site 13 to reach the minimum acreage
- Site 22, on Maple Hill Road
Engineers are studying the land
Since late summer the city has been working to get engineers onto the candidate properties for environmental site assessments and geotechnical work, checking bedrock depth, sinkholes and other conditions that make a site harder to build on. Water management consultant Steve Jones told the council not to expect results soon: "I wouldn't expect to have that until after the first of the year."
The longer search has a cost. WZTV reported in September that the city could miss a deadline tied to more than $300,000 in federal funding.
Where the council stands
Ward 1 Councilor Joey Carmack had a resolution on the Oct. 20 agenda to drop Site 22. He pulled it and said he has asked for Site 22 and Site 13a to go on the next agenda for removal.
Councilors Geri Ashley and Camille Burdine, of Wards 2 and 3, said they would not vote to remove sites until the cost and environmental studies come back and the council holds work sessions. "There's environmental decisions. There's cost decisions," Ashley said, adding that she did not see how the council could drop a site "that may be millions of dollars less than something else."
Several residents asked the council again to keep the plant away from neighborhoods. Some urged a focus on the current plant and the Rockwood property, or on more compact treatment technology that could fit a smaller footprint. Others, including speakers who acknowledged the city needs more wastewater capacity, asked whether every alternative had been studied.
Sources
- Residents push Lebanon Council to shift sewer plant away from neighborhoods, Lebanon Democrat
- Lebanon neighbors push back over wastewater plant sites as decision remains unresolved, WZTV FOX 17
- Lebanon expected to miss federal funding deadline as wastewater plant search continues, WZTV FOX 17
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