Diesel Fuel Spill in Germantown, TN Contaminated Tap Water

Most residents in the Tennessee City of Germantown were unable to drink their tap water for more than six days after a diesel fuel spill occurred. The spill, which was from a treatment plant, contaminated water in a reservoir the city relies on to provide fresh drinking water to the population of 40,000 people in this Memphis suburb. City authorities have released several statements and distributed bottled water. However, while waiting for the warning to be lifted, Germantown residents had to rely on bottled water for drinking, bathing, cooking, washing dishes, and more. Residents were told that Tap water could still be used for flushing toilets. 

Source: ABC24 Memphis/YouTube

The city first advised residents of the spill and warned them to cease using tap water on July 20th. People had noticed and reported a fuel smell in their water. Officials say that the spill occurred when a generator used at the treatment plant spilled diesel fuel into the reservoir. Around 100 gallons of diesel fuel are reported to have spilled into the reservoir. The fuel contaminated not only the 4.2 million gallons of water held there but has also been pumped into the Wolf River through stormwater ditches. Although a statement from an environment and Conservation department spokesperson stated that water quality in the Wolf River will not be affected, environmentalists have still questioned why Germantown chose to allow a diesel fuel tank to be placed in such a precarious location. 

Luckily, no sickness due to water contamination has been reported by city officials. Still, many Germantown residents were frustrated by the response. Although the city distributed bottled water, many residents found the lack of information provided by officials concerning. Concerns cited by residents included lack of access to information about bottled water distributed, unclear response as to when it would be safe to resume using tap water, and how the contamination would affect healthcare and emergency services. 

The tap water advisory was lifted for all areas of the city on July 27th at two in the afternoon. The advisory was lifted after residents had been unable to use tap water for most household needs for more than six days. Officials waited to lift the advisory until third-party test results showed that the water was testing clean and free of diesel fuel. They advised Germantown residents to flush any standing water that remained in their interior pipes. The decision to lift the advisory was made by Germantown city officials with consultation by the Tennessee Departments of Environment and Conservation. 

While residents in Germantown regained access to tap water relatively quickly, many people in several U.S cities have endured unsafe tap water for months and even years. Often, these crises stem from years of infrastructure neglect and systemic racism.

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