CHAPEL HILL, Tenn. (WTVF) — Our area is seeing explosive growth and our utilities are making changes to keep up with that.
Along the Duck River, some water utilities plan to pump out 30% more water to fill the tap.
Conservationists worry that will threaten an already strained resource.
Right now, approximately 54 million gallons of water is drained every day. The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) said it could be 73 million gallons a day under the new permitting system that the Tennessee Department of Environment is implementing.
"We just can't expect to take more and more water from the river each year and expect things to go well," said George Nolan, director of Southern Environmental Law Center.
As Tennessee grows, Nolan and others at SELC and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation worry the state's allowing too much water to be pumped out of the Duck.
Right now, TDEC is working on permits that would allow eight water utilities along the river to drain 19 million more gallons daily to go in the tap.
The proposed water withdrawals landed the river on American Rivers’ Most Endangered Rivers of 2024 list.
"Bringing the water utility district into the permitting system is a good thing. Allowing the water utilities to ramp up human water consumption by 35% without appropriate guardrails is a very bad thing," Nolan said.
SELC is appealing the water withdrawal permits. One provision of the permits that the firm finds particularly alarming is that utilities can leak up to 25% of the water removed from the river.
In a response to NewsChannel 5 about the appeals, a spokesperson for TDEC sent a statement.
TDEC has long recognized the high value of the Duck River and has been taking proactive measures to ensure its protection and its use is balanced between natural resource protection, wildlife conservation, outdoor recreation, and the needs of Tennesseans as communities continue to experience growth. Since 2020, TDEC has initiated a comprehensive permitting process for the Duck River watershed that has included hosting a series of stakeholder meetings and public hearings. We will continue to meet with stakeholders, be responsive to the public’s interest in the Duck River, and utilize the checks and balances within our regulatory authority to ensure this precious resource remains protected and utilized appropriately.
Regarding specific permit language, you can view permits on our website here: https://dataviewers.tdec.tn.gov/dataviewers/f?p=2005:34001:11672559261379:::RIR [dataviewers.tdec.tn.gov].
As this is a pending legal matter, TDEC has no further comment at this time.
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