Groups concerned about the safety of Memphis’ drinking water are asking the Tennessee Valley Authority to rethink how it operates its new Allen Gas Plant.
The Southern Environmental Law Center sent a letter to the Tennessee Valley Authority Wednesday on behalf of two Memphis-based groups; Protect Our Aquifer and the Sierra Club.
The letter outlines concerns that the Allen Gas Plant could contaminate the Memphis Sand Aquifer, which is the city’s source of drinking water.
Tennessee Valley Authority uses water from the aquifer to cool the Allen Gas Plant. Arsenic and other toxins have been discovered in monitoring wells near the plant. The fear is that those toxins could permeate the Memphis Sand Aquifer.
“The fear is that these new pumps, which are below this area are going to pull these contaminates, lead and arsenic and fluoride, down into our drinking water supply,” says Ward Archer, president of Protect Our Aquifer.
Archer says there is currently not enough information to fully understand the environmental impact of the plant.
We reached out to Tennessee Valley Authority for comment on the letter sent by the Southern Environmental Law Center. This is their response:
“TVA has been working under the oversight of the Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation to investigate the nature and extent of the arsenic contamination associated with the coal ash ponds at the Allen Fossil Plant. The environmental investigation is the first step in TDEC’s state-wide process to address groundwater contamination and has involved a detailed analysis of the site. As part of this investigation, the USGS and University of Memphis conducted tests to determine if there is a connection between the shallow Memphis River Valley Aquifer, where the arsenic was found, and the deeper Memphis Sand Aquifer, where TVA has placed its Allen Gas Plant production wells.
TVA is completing the remedial investigation report that will include all the results from the investigation, including the USGS report on its findings. The reports will be turned into TDEC in early March, after which they will review the findings, provide feedback and determine the next steps in the remediation process.
TVA has committed to not using the production wells until it is safe to do so and is making other arrangements with MLGW to provide water in the interim. It is important to note that the drinking water is safe and has not been impacted by the contamination. This was confirmed by testing performed by MLGW. In addition, arsenic has not been found in the production wells at the Allen Gas Plant site.”
Protect Our Aquifer and the Sierra Club are asking Tennessee Valley Authority to find another way to cool the Allen Gas Plant that doesn’t involve using water from the Memphis Sand Aquifer. Archer says they are waiting to see what the Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation has to say about the whole situation before planning their next move.
