LEBANON, Tenn. (WSMV) – A Wilson County utility company and a third-party company it employs could be facing a lawsuit over the illegal discharge of contaminated wastewater.
The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) announced on Tuesday that it sent a letter to the Water and Wastewater Authority of Wilson County (WWAWC) and Adenus Operations about its intention to sue.
The impending lawsuit alleges that WWAWC and Adenus illegally released wastewater into residential yards, waterways, and part of Old Hickory Lake.
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Photos from the Ridgewater site show standing, contaminated water near homeowners’ yards and a nearby stream that empties into Old Hickory Lake.
“Letting polluted wastewater flow into our creeks and lakes isn’t just disgusting, it’s a public health hazard,” SELC staff attorney Stephanie Biggs said. “People should be able to enjoy swimming and fishing in Old Hickory Lake without worrying about sewage pollution, and the Water and Wastewater Authority of Wilson County should expect and demand that Adenus keep polluted wastewater out of our lakes, streams, and yards.”
The letter sent to WWAWC focuses on a type of sewage management system called “drip dispersal,” according to SELC. This method requires waste to be pre-treated before it’s “dripped” into a predetermined land area where the pollutants can be filtered into the soil.
Drip dispersal is commonly used for developments like subdivisions or schools that are not hooked up to traditional municipal sewage systems.
The SELC claims the sewage system that Adenus operates in Wilson County is “undersized and overloaded.”
“Drip dispersal systems have become an increasingly popular waste management method for developers who are building out our traditionally rural landscapes,” said Axel Ringe of the Sierra Club’s Water Quality Committee. “However, last year’s study by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation clearly showed that these types of decentralized sewage treatment systems are failing at a systemic level and are exposing the public and the environment to pollution. This action sends a message that Tennesseans will not tolerate parties that ignore their permits, harm our communities, and treat our state’s rivers and streams as their dumping grounds.”
The environmental groups spearheading the lawsuit are the Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association and the Sierra Club. The action, if filed, will fall under the Clean Water Act, which could subject WWAWC and Adenus to thousands of dollars in fines if found to be in violation.
WWAWC has not responded to requests for a statement regarding the accusations or the impending lawsuit.
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