Group fights to protect Caney Fork from pollution
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Spencer has already obtained permits from the state and drawn up plans to take this route, which runs some 10 miles down the mountain from the treatment plant.
The organization maintains this section of the river is not a moving body of water, as proponents of the discharge site claim, since it is above the Rock Island Dam and only flows when the gates of the dam are open. This makes the river more susceptible to contamination, opponents say, particularly if there is an accident at the Spencer plant and raw sewage is discharged into the water.
From the beginning of the controversy, Friends of the Caney Fork has asked Spencer officials to consider land application of the treated wastewater, but the city has resisted this method citing several reasons, including the expense of obtaining the land needed and rocky terrain. However, Spencer officials have told the group they would be open to any reasonable alternatives the group might be able to offer.
As a result, after a recent meeting, the organization has come forward with an idea that many feel could turn out to be beneficial for everyone involved. The group has asked Spencer to consider discharging the treated water into the headwaters of Rocky River, which is already contaminated by acid runoff from strip mines in the region.
“We had a meeting with them,” said Friends chairman Ricky Dunn, “and they were wanting us to bring up some alternatives. They didn’t want to talk about land irrigation.”
Dunn said the group supplied Spencer with information on 10 plants around the area using land application with no problems, but the idea was still met with resistance.
“They said, ‘Well, what’s your alternatives?’ And the only thing we’ve come up with so far is the head of Rocky River and Cane Creek, way up in the headwaters of Cane Creek. That way it has time to dilute and let nature take its course.”
If Spencer officials chose this method, the water would run some 15 to 16 miles before being dumped into the Caney Fork, as opposed to the current plan, which would discharge the treated wastewater directly into the main channel of the river, according to Dunn.
“If they dump in there it’s like shooting straight into your heart, versus into the tip of your finger,” Dunn said.
The idea is getting support from at least one Tennessee legislator, Rep. Charles Curtiss, who has asked the state to check into the viability of the plan.
“I asked the commissioner of TDEC (Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation) to evaluate it,” Curtiss said, “and they’ve decided to hire an outside consultant.”
The consultant will try to determine if discharging the treated water into the headwaters already impacted with acid runoff will actually help dilute the pollution, according to Curtiss, who has also contacted Tennessee Tech to look at the situation as well.
“I talked to a professor at Tech,” Curtiss said, “and he said that was an innovative idea. He wasn’t sure that it would work, but it was certainly worth looking at. Because, what it is, is that acid runoff from that mine has contaminated that creek to the point that it has affected aquatic life.”
The proposed site is also a shorter distance from the water treatment plant than the planned run down the mountain. Approximately five miles, as opposed to ten miles, according to Friends of the Caney Fork, which could save Spencer significant money on the project.
Friends of the Caney Fork will be holding a meeting Saturday, Sept. 4 at the Rock Island Lions Club at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the issue and go over the reports from the independent contractor hired by TDEC. For more information, contact Ricky Dunn at 931-836-8449, or Robert Slatton at 931-657-5563.