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Council adopts updated water and wastewater construction standards
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Summary
Lebanon City Council unanimously adopted Ordinance 2025-06 on Jan. 27 after suspending rules; the update modernizes water and wastewater construction standards, allows additional materials such as PVC, and instructs the utility to maintain public copies of the standards.
Lebanon City Council on Jan. 27 unanimously adopted Ordinance 2025-06, updating the city’s water and wastewater construction standards. The council suspended the rules for immediate second reading and then approved the ordinance by voice vote.
The ordinance replaces previous standards adopted under Ordinances 95-07 and 2020-04 and implements revised technical specifications that the utility and its consultants say reflect current materials and industry practice. Jeff Jacob, attorney for Lebanon Utilities, and Ryan Ottinger, water/wastewater operations manager, said the revisions are intended to make the standards more user-friendly for developers and to codify prior allowances such as the use of PVC piping where ductile iron was previously required.
Utility staff said the Utility Service Board reviewed and unanimously approved the new standards in December and that the utility will host publicly accessible copies of the water and wastewater standards with the utilities office and the planning department. Staff also said the standards expand the list of acceptable manufacturers and provide searchable PDF forms on the city’s site to aid project applicants.
During public comment, a resident raised concerns about homeowner contracts and insurance sales for private line coverage; staff responded that those private contracts are unrelated to the city’s standards.
Council discussion touched on easement widths and neighborhood design; staff said the 20-foot utility easement standard remains, and that the utility will continue to work case-by-case to accommodate site conditions. The council approved the ordinance by voice vote after suspending the rules; the vote was recorded as unanimous.
