Germantown issues emergency water alert after diesel spill; could be lifted Friday
by: David Royer, Ashley Paul
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The city of Germantown issued an emergency alert Thursday telling customers not to drink its tap water until further notice.
That order could be lifted as early as Friday, pending test results, the city said. Until then, city water should only be used for flushing toilets.
The city said it had reports of a strong petroleum odor coming from its tap water around 9 a.m. Thursday morning, and the city water department began investigating a cause.
At 2:45, they determined that a generator being used to power the Southern Avenue water treatment facility during an ongoing power outage was leaking diesel fuel into a water reservoir that supplies the city.
The generator was stopped, and the spread of the contamination was contained, Germantown officials said. An estimated 100 gallons of fuel was spilled into a reservoir that holds 4.2 million gallons.
Germantown is pumping off the contaminated water and flushing fire hydrants, and the city will continue to test and monitor the water. It is not known when that process will be complete and the alert lifted.
Officials said the amount of fuel contamination was low, and they do not suspect it will cause problems for people who consumed water earlier in the day. The alert was issued out of an abundance of caution, they said.
The Germantown Fire Department and regional emergency management agencies are working to mitigate the situation, the city said.
Until then, water customers should only use water for flushing toilets. Customers should drink bottled water for now.
The Shelby County Health Department also issued an alert, asking people not to consume Germantown water.
Germantown has two water treatment plants, each producing between 2 million and 12 million gallons a day. The city says it is limiting water coming from the Southern Avenue station.
Officials said Germantown has never experienced contamination problems before.
The city is continuing its remediation efforts through the night Thursday.
About Post Author
