Germantown says 40% of water system flushed
City of Germantown handed out water to residents on Monday, July 24, 2023 at Forest Hill Elementary School. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
Germantown said Wednesday, July 26, it has flushed 40% of its water from the areas remaining under a week-long no contact water order.
The city’s public works division and the Germantown Fire Department is flushing and testing the water, which was contaminated by about 100 gallons of diesel. The city expects to be finished flushing today, but it has not provided a date of when water may be restored.
The city’s Southern Avenue water treatment plant was impacted by diesel leaking into an underground reservoir last week, and remediation efforts are ongoing.
Germantown expects to receive sample results collected Tuesday and overnight, Wednesday afternoon. Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) is providing guidance to the City of Germantown based on the results.
A spokesperson for TDEC said Wednesday the state organization will work with Germantown until the situation is resolved and water service is restored to all customers. However, the TDEC spokesperson said it would be “premature” to say when water could be restored to the majority of Germantown residents.
Residents east of Forest Hill-Irene and those in the Enclave and Landsdowne subdivisions were able to resume normal water usage at the beginning of this week.
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Germantown Germantown water southern avenue water plantAbigail Warren
Abigail Warren is a lifelong resident of Shelby County and a graduate of the University of Memphis. She has worked for several local publications and covers the suburbs for The Daily Memphian.
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