Germantown water restrictions to continue Sunday; water distribution event planned

Memphis Commercial Appeal
Updated ·3 min read

Germantown water restrictions will remain in place Sunday as the city awaits further testing results.

Germantown water customers remain under an order to use water only for flushing toilets, the city reiterated in a statement Saturday evening following a city Emergency Operations meeting.

In the statement, Germantown said the city "has received results for samples submitted for testing. Some samples came back with trace amounts of diesel detected. Hydrants will continue to be flushed in several locations. We continue to work with TDEC agency officials. Additional samples will be collected and submitted for testing tomorrow (Sunday) morning. Results will be expedited. We expect to have results by late Sunday afternoon." TDEC is the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

Results for the first round of water sample testing were delayed by an overnight power outage at the MLGW testing lab, the city said on Saturday morning.

Early Saturday morning, crews pulled 15 additional samples for testing with those samples strategically located around each of the locations where an odor in the water was reported. Tests underway would detect any traces of diesel fuel in the samples, the city said.

Results from the first round of water tests were initially expected Saturday morning, the city said.

On Thursday, Germantown first advised residents not to consume the city's tap water. After a few residents reported their tap water had a strong odor, Germantown’s water department staffers determined a generator — which was powering the Southern Avenue water treatment facility during the current power outage — had been leaking diesel fuel into an underground reservoir.

Smoothie King is closed on July 21, 2023 because of a generator leaking diesel into the city of Germantown’s water reservoir. A sign on their front door notifies customers they are closed. This is the location at 7820 Poplar Avenue in Germantown, Tenn.
Smoothie King is closed on July 21, 2023 because of a generator leaking diesel into the city of Germantown’s water reservoir. A sign on their front door notifies customers they are closed. This is the location at 7820 Poplar Avenue in Germantown, Tenn.

During a news briefing Thursday evening, officials said that, at worst, 100 gallons of diesel fuel had leaked into the underground reservoir, which contains about 4.2 million gallons of water.

On Thursday, Germantown Fire Department deployed a hazardous materials response team to the Southern Avenue water plant, the city said. The leak was stopped and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation was called in to ensure the response met its standards.

According to the city, crews drained the affected reservoirs to a level that allowed a safe neutralizing agent to be applied early Friday morning. By midday Friday, reservoirs were refilled and water pumped into the elevated tower to address any residue in the system.

GERMANTOWN WATER: Germantown stores and residents still without water; no update on when water will be safe

Work was conducted with oversight from TDEC and Shelby County Emergency Management Agency. Initial samples were sent to a local lab, and the Shelby County Health Department is independently testing samples, the city said.Once the system is clear, additional information will be provided about what homeowners should do to ensure their water lines are clean.

The city also announced that bottled water (one case per car) will be available from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Forest Hill Elementary, 3368 Forest Hill Road.

Residents can also bring their own containers and fill with an unlimited supply of water at Bailey Station Elementary, 3435 Bailey Station Road in Collierville, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Germantown water contamination: The latest updates