Germantown, a city near Memphis, is facing a major crisis as its residents have been without clean drinking water for over five days.
The problem reportedly started after a diesel fuel contaminated the main underground water reservoir, which made the water unsafe to drink, cook, or even use for personal hygiene.
The city officials discovered on July 20 that a generator was leaking diesel fuel into the water reservoir. In addition, an underground water pipe was also cracked, allowing diesel fuel to seep into the water supply through the soil.
Due to the contamination, the city had to shut down the water supply completely. Boiling the water couldn’t get rid of the oil-based contaminant, leaving residents with no access to clean water for essential activities.
Germantown had already been dealing with three severe storms in the past month that caused power outages in thousands of homes. The water crisis has added to the difficulties for the locals.
“The city of Germantown, TN has been without ANY drinking water for at least [5] days!” a local resident said.
“I fully believe that a year from now, you’ll still be able to find some of this contamination from time to time, if you look at the right place.”
One week after the Germantown water crisis, residents turn to long-time clean water expert for answers: pic.twitter.com/vuAi7hepQT— Stephen Pimpo (@spimpojr) July 27, 2023
“Apparently, the water reservoir was contaminated with diesel fuel. Boiling water will not eliminate the oil, so the people cannot drink, take showers, cook, or anything. Restaurants, hair salons and any other business that requires water are shut down,” the resident added.
“In the past month, Memphis and surrounding areas have been hammered by three severe storms that knocked out power to thousands. Memphis is like a third-world country. Germantown is the conservative suburb of Memphis.”
Additionally, some areas east of Forest Hill Irene Road received the all-clear on July 23, 2023. However, much of the city still lacks clean water, leading to growing frustration and anxiety among residents.
City leaders have declared a state of emergency, and Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo has been working with local crews to address the situation.
Emergency response teams have been working non-stop to flush the water system and use chemicals to remove the fuel. Despite their efforts, progress has been slow, and residents are becoming increasingly concerned.
“We want to make sure it’s safe for them to consume,” Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo said.
“I don’t want to give our people a false sense of hope and security that it will come back, that everything comes back negative, but we’re hopeful.” Palazzolo added.
Moreover, the mayor also claimed that “We will have a comprehensive after-action assessment of the water treatment facility to make sure that it is up to standards.”
“We just recently had testing done by the state for traditional water quality, we passed all those with flying colors,” he continued.
