Germantown Residents Still Without Usable Water After a Week

Image Credit: City of Germantown, Tennessee Government / Facebook

The Tennessee Conservative Staff –

Residents of Germantown have been unable to use their tap water for a week after a diesel fuel spill into a local reservoir. 

Residents were first told on July 20th that a treatment plant’s water supply system had been contaminated by a diesel fuel spill. This was discovered after residents reported their water having a fuel smell.

It was later discovered that recent storms led to a generator being used at the plant that spilled diesel fuel into a reservoir. 

Most of the 40,000 people who reside in Germantown, a suburb of Memphis, were ordered to only use their water for flushing toilets. They were told not to drink or boil tap water, and they are not allowed to use it for showering or bathing. It is recommended that people use bottled water for personal use, so the city has been giving out bottles since Friday. 

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is waiting for water samples to test free of diesel before the advisory is lifted, according to spokesperson Eric Ward. 

A few residents have been allowed to resume using water. So far, there have been no reports of people becoming ill.

 

Officials said that initial tests at the plant showed no contamination in the water and the city would continue testing and begin flushing its systems. While the announcement was a step in the right direction, it was not enough to lift the order. 

“We know this situation has been an incredible inconvenience, disrupting the everyday lives of our families and businesses. And we apologize for that,” Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo said in a video message Tuesday.