Stop the Limestone Water Treatment Plant Expansion
The Limestone Water Utility Operating Company is attempting to nearly double the capacity of the Limestone Water Treatment Plant—from 0.25 to 0.45 million gallons per day. This expansion proposal would replace the current system with an industrial-sized plant featuring a 47-foot tower and increase truck traffic in the neighborhood.
TALKING POINTS FOR LETTER AND PUBLIC HEARING BELOW
TALKING POINTS FOR LETTER AND PUBLIC HEARING:
Loss of Community Assets & Quality of Life
The “Poop Field”: The lower back field, once a hub for youth sports and community camp outs, has been rendered unusable due to odor. We are a neighborhood, not a septic drainage field.Visual & Noise Pollution: The proposal includes a 40-foot tower and industrial lighting. We request a new design with a lower vertical footprint, robust visual buffers/vegetative screening, and noise-abatement enclosures to manage the sound of the facility’s generators.Industrial Traffic: Constant truck traffic regularly damages our roads and threatens the safety of our residents. We are a neighborhood, not Limestone’s driveway.
A Track Record of Operational Failure
Frequent Overflows: Since Dec 2024, multiple spills have flooded our fields with raw sewage and toilet paper.Operational Negligence: Manholes are frequently left open and unattended, posing a safety risk to residents and children and causing widespread odor.Short Term Solutions: The operator relies on temporary repairs and applying lime over sewage spills rather than addressing the root technical and institutional failures.
Lack of Transparency
Hidden Spills: A massive 300,000+ gallon spill into Cartwright Creek and the Harpeth River in July 2025 was only confirmed after residents complained; the operator did not self-report.Data Gaps: Major events, such as the Christmas 2025 leak, remain missing or “under revision” in the public Dataviewer.Bottom line: Why should a company that cannot accurately detect or report current issues be trusted with a larger, more complex facility?
Financial & Accountability Concerns
Unjustified Hikes: In the wake of several operational failures, CSWR/Limestone requested a large rate hike from the Tennessee Public Utility Commission (TPUC) that we formally opposed. TPUC approved a much smaller rate hike.Infrastructure Neglect: The operator uses our private roads (Recreation & Treatment Plant Rd) for heavy equipment but refuses to take accountability and contribute to basic maintenance—insisting residents cover the costs for contractors and stalling negotiations
