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Committee advances Duck River protection bill after TDEC testimony and failed amendments
Summary
HB1510, a measure aimed at strengthening protections for the Duck River and clarifying boundary/consent procedures, passed the House Agriculture committee after members rejected amendments that would have altered boundary-consent language and required increased sampling intervals.
The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee advanced HB1510, legislation sponsors said is meant to protect the Duck River’s ecological resources and the drinking water of downstream communities.
Representative Marsh, sponsor of the bill, said the measure is "not about landfills" but instead is focused on preserving "the most biodiverse waters in the country" and ensuring community voices and property rights are protected when TDEC establishes Scenic River boundaries. Marsh noted broad local support, including county resolutions and coordination with the Tennessee Farm Bureau.
Two amendments were considered. The first would have tied boundary-setting to additional landowner‑permission language; that amendment failed on a roll call (reported 7 ayes, 8 nays, 1 present not voting). The second amendment, proposed by Chairman Todd, would have required TDEC to perform comprehensive water-quality sampling at every five‑mile interval along the Duck River and report results separately. Chairman Todd argued "the more information they have, the more robust the modeling will be." Speaker Pro Tem Marsh and others said the ongoing Duck River planning partnership and study might address sampling needs.
April Grippo, director of water resources for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), testified in detail: she said the Duck River is sampled under TDEC’s watershed monitoring cycle every five years and that TDEC currently operates about 20 monitoring stations along the river. Grippo added that permit holders often monitor discharges far more frequently (daily to weekly) and that TDEC’s watershed monitoring is designed to align with five‑year permit cycles. When committee members pressed for whether more frequent sampling would provide value, Grippo said additional data would help modeling but that the current program is robust and targeted by watershed needs.
The committee voted to defeat the five‑mile sampling amendment (clerk reported 6 ayes, 8 nays, 2 present not voting) and ultimately approved HB1510; after an initial misreading of tallies the chair corrected the record and announced the bill passes and moves to calendar and rules.
Supporters said HB1510 balances property-rights protections and water-quality safeguards, while opponents had argued technical and legal drafting issues needed clarification. TDEC officials told the panel that more sampling would yield more data but that existing monitoring and permittee reporting already provide ongoing oversight of the river.
