Where Does The Water Go?
Discover where water goes after you flush in the Greater Nashville area, exploring the sewage system, current models, future updates, and ways citizens can stay informed and involved.
Harpeth Conservancy has long been active in efforts to reduce toxic pollution in our waterways. We spearheaded efforts to make sure that Liberty Creek, a tributary of the Harpeth were actively cleaned up.
In January 2007, the TN Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) confirmed that leaking pipes at Egyptian Lacquer Manufacturing Company (ELMCO) on Eddy Lane, located next to Fort Granger, had contaminated the groundwater, Liberty Creek, and the Harpeth River in downtown Franklin, TN with hazardous chemicals. Even with some clean-up efforts early on, hazardous chemicals in the groundwater flowed into nearby Liberty Creek in the vicinity behind Battle Ground Academy (BGA) lower school for the ensuing years. Orange bacteria growth that feeds off the chemicals and active seeps with hazardous chemicals were confirmed in Liberty Creek.
Harpeth Conservancy has been very involved in identifying the seeps where the hazardous chemicals entered directly into the Harpeth River and funded expert reviews of the proposed clean-up plans. Harpeth Conservancy expert review highlighted that the second proposed clean up plan:
Among other efforts, the TN Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) held a public information session to gather input on the proposed final Corrective Action Plan by Egyptian Lacquer Manufacturing Company. The proposal was to let nature takes it course to deal with hazardous chemicals that still contaminate the groundwater on their property years later and that are moving under people’s homes and into Liberty Creek where children can easily play.
Harpeth Conservancy has funded an expert review of the proposed Plan and collected recent field data which has been provided to TDEC.
Discover where water goes after you flush in the Greater Nashville area, exploring the sewage system, current models, future updates, and ways citizens can stay informed and involved.
In Tennessee, we have more than 50,000 miles of winding, biodiverse rivers and streams – along with more than a half-million acres of lakes and eco-diverse
Harpeth Conservancy, along with legal and engineering experts working for Friends of the Piney, reviewed PSC’s materials submitted to the Commission the week prior. Our overarching assessment—based on decades of working with local, state, and federal agencies’ permitting requirements to protect public health and waterways—was that PSC provided insufficient details to county decisionmakers about how the development will address severe flooding and flood safety, sewage treatment, and drinking water.
The Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC) is asking for public comments on a series of proposed and expanded water withdrawals (by drinking water utilities) from one of the most biodiverse rivers in the world—the Duck River—which flows through Middle Tennessee.
Wetlands play a vital role in maintaining ecological balance and supporting biodiversity, and Tennessee is no exception to the significance of these precious ecosystems.
In a significant win for clean water advocates, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) made a crucial decision over the holidays to deny
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