Is the Moccasin Bend Wastewater Treatment Plant responsible for a good deal of the sewer stench that some people detect downtown and in North Chattanooga?

According to a 2006 study, four of the 172 calls to the city's 311 line regarding odors were specifically about the plant. Nineteen more were about sewer close to the plant. Most of the rest were related to the city's interceptor sewer system.

Has something changed in the past six years so that more of the smells can be traced to the plant? We don't know. But whatever the source of the smells, there was a split vote by the Chattanooga City Council Tuesday in favor of spending $3.2 million to clean up the plant and reduce odors. Supporters said the work would also reduce corrosion at the plant.

Maybe the air we breathe will soon be fresher. For what the city is spending, we hope so.