Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environmental Public Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City: gasoline spill near Kroger may affect creek but does not threaten drinking water, investigation ongoing
Summary
City engineer reported a gasoline spill near Kroger to the board and said the city's drinking water system, which draws from deep aquifers, is not at risk; staff are working with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and first responders at the site.
City engineers briefed the Board of Mayor and Aldermen about a gasoline spill near a Kroger store and said there is no current concern for the city's drinking water, while acknowledging potential environmental impacts to surface water and that the responsible party had not been conclusively identified.
Mayor James Farmer asked City Engineer John Horn to address questions after public concern surfaced on social media about a fuel spill. Horn told the board, "There is no concern regarding our drinking water," and explained that Bartlett draws water from deep aquifers by pumping from wells "down 5, 600 feet," rather than from surface sources such as lakes or rivers that could be immediately affected by a surface spill.
Horn said the spill could have an environmental impact on the creek and that the city's fire department, public works and stormwater staff were on site and coordinating with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) to address the contamination in the creek. The city had not, at the time of the briefing recorded in the transcript, identified the party responsible for the release.
The board did not take formal action in the provided transcript excerpt; staff reported on-site response and coordination with state environmental authorities.
