Federal, State and local officials are continuing to advise the public to avoid fishing or wading in Hickman Creek, and to also use an alternate source for watering animals until further notice. The affected area of Hickman Creek is located from Edgewood Street in Alexandria, approximately one and a half mile downstream to the Highway 53 Bridge.
Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency discovered an unknown substance seeping into Hickman Creek, that they suspect is the substance that contributed to more than 3,500 dead fish found in the area, along with crustaceans and insects. EPA contractors traced the unknown seepage away from the creek bank, behind the Alexandria Senior Center, then dug a sump well to contain and intercept the substance before it could enter the creek.
Officials say that the seepage is not coming from any pipes or drains, but rather from the groundwater in the area, making it difficult to pinpoint the source of the contamination. A pump has been installed in the well to bring the product to the surface to be stored in above ground FRAC tanks, until it can be positively identified and then properly disposed of.
“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,” DeKalb Emergency Management Director Charlie Parker told the Smithville Review. “They are 21,000 gallons each, but will not be filled completely. They will hold between 19,500 and 20,000 gallons in each tank, leaving a little room.”
“At the present time, Tank 1 is full, with the second tank about three quarters full,” Parker continued. “We have a total of five tanks. If they are full before we know what the substance is, then the EPA will send a truck to offload the material and transport it to a hazardous waste site.”
Parker said officials are still unsure what the main culprit is in the seepage. “We’re still waiting on confirmed analytics. We do have some preliminary data in from samples taken last week. There are some chemicals in this liquid material, but some are presumed to be naturally occurring materials.”
Parker said that there is already improvements seen in the area, showing that the precautions are working. “There is some aquatic life already returning to the area, which is a good sign. There are minnows, and water bugs running along the top of the water. With a combination of the rains, and keeping the chemicals from reaching the creek, we are getting some aquatic life back in the area.”
As a continued precaution until further notice, officials are still asking the public to avoid the creek in the affected areas with no wading or fishing in the creek.
Some Alexandria residents have been complaining about bad smells emanating from their sink and other drains. Parker said that engineers have been made aware of the complaints, but that as of right now there is no reason to believe the two issues are connected.
Representatives on site include 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.
