HOWARD — The Knox County Board of Commissioners held a community meeting Tuesday evening at the Floral Valley Community Center for residents of Apple Valley. The purpose of the meeting was to inform residents of upgrades to the Little Jelloway wastewater treatment plant, and to get input on how they want to pay for it.

Commissioner Allen Stockberger said the upgrade is needed because the plant is aging past the point where maintenance can support it, and because Environmental Protection Agency regulations have become more stringent in the 35 years since the plant was built.

When asked if the change was due to volume of sewage, Stockberger said the issue was quality, not quantity. Another person asked if the county was making the upgrade for future regulations, or just to fix a current problem. Stockberger and Knox County water and wastewater technician Jason Figgins said it was both. The treatment plant is releasing too much bacteria, copper and ammonia for current regulations, they said, but they also hope to raise the rebuilt plant to a high enough standard to incorporate anticipated EPA changes for the next 20 years.