Lebanon, Tennessee, residents returned to City Council on 20 October 2026 to oppose proposed locations for the city’s next wastewater treatment plant, citing concerns about odors, noise and truck traffic while the site-selection process remained unresolved. WZTV
The report identified no treatment capacity, estimated cost or selected site. For plant managers and procurement teams, the immediate issue is therefore site due diligence and decision sequencing rather than equipment award: environmental studies and cost estimates are still required before the council can compare the proposed locations. WZTV
Key takeaways
- Residents told the Lebanon City Council that the proposed plant locations could bring odors, noise and truck traffic near their homes. WZTV
- The city said its aging wastewater plant must be replaced as Lebanon grows. WZTV
- No proposed site was removed from consideration, and Lebanon had not selected a final location. WZTV
- Council members said they wanted environmental studies and cost estimates before supporting removal of any location. WZTV
- Lebanon was expected to miss a federal funding deadline while the plant-site search continued. WZTV
Residents seek alternatives as site review continues
Residents presented concerns about odors, noise and truck traffic at the council meeting, while several speakers accepted that additional wastewater capacity was needed but questioned whether alternatives near residential neighborhoods had been fully explored. WZTV
Some residents urged city leaders to focus on the existing treatment plant and the Rockwood property rather than nearby residential parcels. Others asked whether newer treatment technology could permit operation on a smaller site. WZTV
Resident Michael Hershey told the council: “People buy properties, they build homes, they build businesses with an expectation that the property that they’re purchasing would align with the properties nearby and the proper zonings.” WZTV
The city said its aging plant needs replacement to meet the community’s needs as Lebanon grows, but the report did not provide a design capacity or population-equivalent figure for the replacement project. WZTV
Site remains unselected
A resolution to remove the Maple Hill Road site, identified as Site 22, was withdrawn from the 20 October agenda. Council member Joey Carmack said he had asked staff to return with a request involving Site 22 and Site 13A at the next council meeting. WZTV
Other council members said they would not support removing locations before receiving environmental studies and cost estimates. They said the decision must consider effects on neighbors and costs to the broader community. WZTV
No sites were removed during the meeting, and a final location had not been selected. Fox 17 News was seeking timing for the studies and the city’s expected decision, while the next regular council meeting was scheduled for 17 November. WZTV
Specification read
The source did not report design flow in million liters per day, cubic meters per day or population equivalent, so the project cannot yet be assigned a defensible treatment-capacity class. It also reported no influent flow, BOD, COD, discharge standard, footprint, construction cost or equipment budget. WZTV
For municipal wastewater projects of this type, the full treatment train would typically connect screening, primary clarification, a biological stage such as A2O, MBBR, SBR or MBR, and tertiary treatment or disinfection; solids handling and odor control must also be defined for the selected site. This event bears directly on the site and pretreatment-selection stage because residents raised odors, noise and truck traffic, while operators asked whether newer technology could enable a smaller footprint. WZTV
Readers evaluating municipal wastewater treatment plant requirements should treat odor, noise, access traffic and land availability as core receiving-environment inputs rather than equipment details to address after selection. The city’s need for environmental studies and cost estimates means those inputs should be completed before treatment capacity, footprint and process configuration are fixed. WZTV
If your plant looks like a municipal replacement project with an unresolved site, neighbor sensitivity to odor and noise, access-traffic concerns and incomplete flow and loading data, this is what it means for you: obtain the hydraulic and loading basis before comparing biological process options, and include site impacts in equipment specification. Further process context is available in the related comparisons for DAF versus clarifier applications in pulp and paper wastewater and DAF versus clarifier applications in fabricated-metals wastewater.
FAQ
What capacity has been reported for Lebanon’s next wastewater plant?
No design capacity was reported. The available coverage did not provide flow in cubic meters per day, population equivalent, BOD or COD, so buyers cannot responsibly assign a treatment class or size a treatment train from this event. WZTV
What cost information is available for the proposed project?
No construction cost or equipment budget was reported. Council members said cost estimates, alongside environmental studies, are needed before they would support removing proposed locations, so the report establishes a decision requirement rather than a procurement price. WZTV
When will Lebanon decide on the treatment plant site?
A final site had not been selected, and the report did not give a decision date. The next regular council meeting was scheduled for 17 November, while Fox 17 News was seeking the expected timing for the studies and final decision. WZTV
What should a supplier review before selection?
Before site selection, reviewers should obtain the hydraulic and loading basis, environmental studies, cost estimates, available footprint and receiving-environment constraints for odor, noise and truck traffic. The report does not provide lead times or supplier-selection criteria, so those cannot be inferred from the source. WZTV
