Senate Bill 1657 amends various sections of the Tennessee Code Annotated to regulate the application of sludge from wastewater treatment facilities to agricultural land. The bill allows counties, municipalities, and metropolitan governments to authorize such applications by adopting a resolution with a two-thirds vote of their legislative bodies. This resolution must establish a tipping fee for each ton of sludge applied, which is to be collected by the sludge operator and remitted to the respective local government. The revenue generated from this fee is designated solely for the construction and maintenance of wastewater treatment facilities within the jurisdiction.

Additionally, the bill stipulates that no person may apply sludge to agricultural land unless it is in a jurisdiction that has approved such application or if they possess a valid permit. The commissioner is prohibited from issuing or renewing permits for sludge application unless the land is in an approved jurisdiction. The provisions of the bill take effect immediately upon becoming law, while the permit-related section will take effect on July 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 5-1-118(b), 5-1-118, 5-1-118(c)(2)