Four months after a portion of Hickman Creek was found to have contamination seeping into the water, killing more than 3,500 fish along with crustaceans and insects, the Environmental Protection Agency says that operations to remove groundwater are no longer necessary.
In August 2021, Federal, State and local officials advised the public to avoid fishing or wading in Hickman Creek, and to use an alternate source for watering animals in the area. The affected area of the creek was from Edgewood Street in Alexandria, approximately one and a half mile downstream to the Highway 53 Bridge.
During an investigation into the source of the contamination, the EPA discovered an unknown substance seeping into Hickman Creek, traced to the creek bank, behind the Alexandria Senior Center. There, a sump well was dug to contain and intercept the substance before it could enter the creek.
DeKalb Emergency Management Director Charlie Parker told the Smithville Review at the time that five 21,000 gallon tanks were brought in to hold the contaminated water. “They are holding the material that is coming from the sump pump for storage until we get a positive identification on exactly what the substance is, and how it can be disposed of. When full, the EPA will send a truck to offload the material and transport it to a hazardous waste site.”
Representatives on site included the U.U. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), EPA contractors, the Tennessee Department of Environmental and Conservation (TDEC), the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), DeKalb County Emergency Management, and the Town of Alexandria and representatives.
Last week, the EPA released a statement that they were ending their investigation into the contamination, though the initial source of the contaminants remains unclear.
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that the source of impaired conditions in Hickman Creek was a seep of contaminated groundwater coming from the bank. On August 7, 2021, a discharge of unknown material resulted in a fish kill in Hickman Creek. It was estimated at the time that there were 2,000 dead fish and crustaceans in a 1 to 1.5-mile segment of the creek. Low levels of dissolved oxygen were found along with black, grey, and brown discolored water.”
“From August through November, approximately 400,000 gallons of groundwater was removed and transported to a specialized wastewater treatment facility.”
“The EPA also began an investigation into the potential source and content of the release into Hickman Creek as well as an assessment of the impacts and reach downstream. The investigation evaluated infrastructure near the creek and a drainage line at a nearby manufacturing facility. EPA and its contractors collected several water samples for laboratory analysis. Recent samples showed that the water quality of the groundwater flowing into the creek has significantly improved.”
“Based on these results, EPA’s On-Scene Coordinator, in consultation with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), determined that the EPA’s operations to remove groundwater are no longer necessary.”
