Environmental experts confirm toxins in groundwater near a Memphis natural gas plant are not getting into the drinking water.
Tennessee Valley Authority received results from yet another investigation into the groundwater near its new Allen Fossil Plant.
TVA submitted those results to Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
The tests showed that the water with high levels of arsenic, lead, and fluoride are not contaminating the Memphis Aquifer.
Despite another test saying Memphis drinking water remains safe, TVA said it remains committed to not operating the wells around the contaminated water at this time.
Rather than using the wells, TVA is working on contingency plans to supply cooling water to the natural gas plant.
TVA expects to begin operations at the facility sometime this spring, as scheduled.
However, Southern Environmental Law Center said it still has concerns about the contaminated water: “TVA’s statement about the remedial investigation confirms our biggest fear–that there is a hydraulic connection between the arsenic-contaminated groundwater and the Memphis Sand Aquifer, the city’s drinking water source.
These threats to Memphis’s drinking water source could have been avoided if TVA had gone through the appropriate steps including conducting an in-depth environmental review, involving the public in the decision-making process and admitting its on-site contamination sooner.
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