LEBANON, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Lebanon City Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday preventing the city from using any sort of payment or eminent domain to take a local family's farmland for a new sewer plant, while also addressing concerns over state fines at the current facility.
After community pushback around it, even after being considered, the council voted against acquiring the Conatser family's farmland.
"That is such a relief because we did not wish to have a sewer plant there," Cindy Conatser Eatherly said.
Eatherly's family owns a 52-acre parcel near the current wastewater treatment plant for Lebanon.
The family has a history of the city's infrastructure projects taking their land.
"60 years ago, our dad and our uncle had the property taken for the current sewer plant by eminent domain, and we heard it our whole lives," Eatherly said.
The effort to build a new sewer plant has caused residents to examine the current facility's operations.
According to documents from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the facility received a $35,555 fine in September for exceeding specific state limitations.
Last month, TDEC suggested the city put a moratorium on new sewer lines due to overflows.
Lebanon Wastewater Treatment Plant Manager Jeremiah Exum addressed the concerns at the meeting, noting the city has taken action to correct the problems.
"No money has been paid on that, and we are in the appeal process," Exum said.
Exum said that the fine in September came for previous violations the city had already addressed before the notice arrived.
As word of the violations and fines from TDEC has spread, many neighbors have expressed concern that the city’s growth will make this problem worse.
However, Exum said severe weather caused the majority of the issues TDEC is concerned about, rather than city growth.
"2024 Helene came through, 2025 regional flooding, and an ice storm in January 2026," Exum said. "The majority of the overflows that they're suggesting on this self-imposed moratorium are more from stormwater events than it is from growth," Exum said.
Communication regarding the fines has been an issue for some councilors who said they were kept in the dark about it.
"I am bothered that there's a fine, a potential fine that was levied against the city that was found on a public site that was available to the public, it was available to the press, and the council was not made aware of that," said Council Member Geri Ashley, who represents Ward Two in Lebanon.
Mayor Bell acknowledged the difficulty of the project but emphasized the necessity of a new facility.
"The choice really is... do we build it or do we forfeit the future of the city," Bell said. "A new plant has to be built, it simply does.”
With the Conatser family farm out of contention, city leaders are considering other locations, but haven’t made a decision yet.
The main requirement for where the new sewer plant can go is that it must be within the existing pipe system that carries treated water to the Cumberland River.
Mayor Bell said a location must be chosen by the fall in order for the city to receive ARPA funds to help pay for the design.
This is a story we will continue to cover, as some of the appeals the city has with TDEC have deadlines coming up.
This story was reported on-air by journalist Robb Coles and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
How do you feel about the proposed sewer plant in Lebanon? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
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