Knoxville Council to Accept Up to $42.5 Million in State Funds for KUB’s Water Treatment Plant Expansion

Clean water is the one utility every home needs, and Knoxville’s comes from a single plant. On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Knoxville City Council will consider accepting up to $42,500,000 in state grant money for the Mark B. Whitaker Water Treatment Plant Expansion Project. The money would pass through the city to the Knoxville Utilities Board, which runs the plant.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the Main Assembly Room at 400 W. Main St. The resolution is Item 12.n, one of the grant items listed on the consent agenda.

What the resolution does

The resolution would authorize the mayor to sign all documents needed to accept additional grant funding of up to $42.5 million from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, known as TDEC. The city would then pass the money to KUB for the plant project.

The packet explains where the money comes from. TDEC has unallocated federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, and those funds have been reassigned to the city for the KUB plant “to cover additional costs.” KUB would receive the money as a subrecipient of the grant.

A hard deadline

The packet’s project schedule is one line long: all ARPA funding must be disbursed by Dec. 31, 2026. That is about two months after the vote.

How the original grant is described

This is not the first state grant tied to the plant. Council approved R-117-2022 on April 19, 2022, to apply for and accept the original grant contract. The packet then describes the 2023 award two ways:

• The agenda information sheet says the city was awarded a TDEC grant of $20,041,514.17 in 2023 “for stormwater infrastructure projects,” with KUB as a sub-awardee for the plant.
• The resolution itself calls it a State Water Infrastructure Grant of $20,041,514.17 “for water infrastructure projects.”

Both documents agree on the amount and on KUB’s role in the plant project.

About the plant

A KUB presentation at the 2025 Kentucky-Tennessee Water Professionals Conference described the Mark B. Whitaker plant as KUB’s only water treatment plant. It has a rated capacity of 62.9 million gallons per day. The session said KUB was building 38 million gallons per day of added filtration capacity.

The new filters create two separate treatment trains. KUB said that gives redundancy and resiliency and leaves room for future plant expansion. The existing filters are nearly 100 years old. The work includes a new filter building with six new gravity filters, a new intermediate pump station, backwash tanks, and a second laboratory and control room.

Also on the Oct. 27 agenda

Three rezonings on second reading

• 5015 Sullivan Road — AG to RN-1 single-family, File 9-E-26-RZ, District 3. The Hillside Protection overlay stays. Background: Knox Planning Approves Sullivan Rd AG-to-RN-1 (9-E-26-RZ).
• 1204 Sylvan Street — RN-1 to RN-2, File 9-C-26-RZ, District 6.
• 1814 and 1816 Kim Watt Drive and 1760 Millard Beets Road — RN-1 to RN-2, File 9-B-26-RZ, District 2.

Planning staff recommended approval of all three, and the Planning Commission approved each 13-0 on consent.

A lot-coverage appeal on Luttrell Street

Council will hear an appeal of a Board of Zoning Appeals denial at 1231 Luttrell Street in an RN-2 zone. The variances would raise the maximum building coverage from 30% to 45% and the maximum impervious surface from 40% to 71.5%.

Sidewalks and an infill home

• A contract with Design & Construction Services, Inc. of up to $548,774.80 for the 2027 Sidewalk Replacement Project.
• A $32,000 quitclaim deed for a vacant lot at 412 Ocala Drive to East Tennessee Housing Development Corporation under the Homemakers Program. The packet says the lot will get a new three-bedroom, two-bath home of about 1,280 square feet, sold to a household at or below 80 percent of area median income.
• An agreement with Keep Knoxville Beautiful of up to $150,000 a year for litter, graffiti and education work.

Grants, transit funds and a budget amendment

The consent grants also include a request to apply for and accept up to $72,000 from TDEC to run the city’s Household Hazardous Waste facility. That is the place to take old paint, chemicals and other leftovers when you clean out a house before a move. Knoxville Area Transit has five items that move remaining project funds into new Tennessee Department of Transportation contracts with later deadlines, running as late as March 30, 2030.

On first reading, council will take up an ordinance to amend the operating and capital budgets for fiscal year 2026-27. The agenda lists it under the Finance Department and does not give amounts or line items.

Dates to know

• April 19, 2022 — Council approves R-117-2022 for the original grant.
• Tue., Oct. 27, 2026, 6 p.m. — City Council meeting, 400 W. Main St.
• Dec. 31, 2026 — Deadline to disburse all ARPA funding, per the packet.

More Knoxville zoning dates are coming up: Knoxville Council Sets Nov. 10 Hearing on Rudy Street C-G-1 Rezoning and Knox Planning’s Nov. 12 Rezoning Docket: 12 Units an Acre on South Northshore Drive, a Wooddale Downzoning and a Karns Cluster.

What it means for Knoxville homeowners

• State money, not rates. Grant dollars cover project costs that would otherwise fall on the utility. Ask KUB how the grant affects its plans.
• Reliable water supports values. Buyers rarely ask about the water plant, but a dependable system is part of what makes a neighborhood work.
• Neighborhood zoning keeps shifting. RN-1 to RN-2 changes like Sylvan Street and Kim Watt Drive add options for small lots. Know your own zoning before you list.

Selling a home in Knoxville?

Buyers look at the house, the street and what is coming nearby. Have your utility provider, average bills and any permits for additions ready. If a rezoning or variance is near you, read the file so you can answer questions plainly.

Start with a free home valuation to see where your price stands, or ask for a cash offer if you want a fast, certain sale.

How much is Knoxville accepting for the water treatment plant?

Item 12.n on the Oct. 27, 2026 City Council agenda would accept additional grant funding of up to $42,500,000.00 from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for the Mark B. Whitaker Water Treatment Plant Expansion Project.

Who gets the $42.5 million?

The city would pass the money through to the Knoxville Utilities Board. The packet says KUB would receive it as a subrecipient of the grant.

When must the grant money be spent?

The council packet says all ARPA funding must be disbursed by Dec. 31, 2026.

How big is KUB’s water treatment plant?

A 2025 KUB conference presentation said the Mark B. Whitaker plant, KUB’s only water treatment plant, has a rated capacity of 62.9 million gallons per day, and that KUB was building 38 million gallons per day of added filtration.

What rezonings are on the Oct. 27 Knoxville agenda?

Second readings for 5015 Sullivan Road (AG to RN-1), 1204 Sylvan Street (RN-1 to RN-2), and 1814 and 1816 Kim Watt Drive and 1760 Millard Beets Road (RN-1 to RN-2). Each was approved 13-0 on consent by the Planning Commission.

Source links

• City of Knoxville — City Council Regular Meeting Agenda, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, 6 p.m.
• City of Knoxville — City Council Agenda Packet, Oct. 27, 2026 (Item 12.n and others)
• KY/TN Water Professionals Conference 2025 — “Construction of Conventional Filters for an Unconventional Reason” (KUB session)

More from Kings of Real Estate

Related local news:

• Knox Planning Approves Sullivan Rd AG-to-RN-1 (9-E-26-RZ)
• Knox Planning Approves Sylvan St RN-2; Council Set for Oct. 13
• Knoxville Council Sets Nov. 10 Hearing on Rudy Street C-G-1 Rezoning
• Knox Planning’s Nov. 12 Rezoning Docket: 12 Units an Acre on South Northshore Drive, a Wooddale Downzoning and a Karns Cluster

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