..."WHY SHOULD I BE CONCERNED?"
1. NO DROUGHT PLAN
This volume of water accounts for 25% of the river water flow through this area. Water Permit NRS23.288 does not mention any drought plan for the times of year in which the Duck River is low; which is essentially every year from May until August.
Currently, CPWS has a low flow regulation with their current water pull. Meaning, if the river reaches drought level, they are supposed to slow their pull, if not halt it all together. With permit NRS23.288, they are able to pull as much as 32-million gallons of water per day, no matter the level of the river.
2. TDEC GRANTED MORE WASTE WATER
When initially filing for their water permit, CPWS requested 15% waste, which is typical waste percentage. However, TDEC approved 25% waste. Meaning, CPWS can waste up to 8-million gallons of water per day from the Duck River.
3. DESTRUCTION OF VALUBLE AQUATIC LIFE
CPWS conducted their own studies, showing no freshwater mussel presence within a radius of their current water pull location. The Duck River needs those mussels to filter the water. One mussel cleanses up to 15-gallons of water per day.
This permit will be detrimental to the Duck River, and we at the Duck River Conservancy, urge all Duck River Watershed residents to support us in fighting this matter! To read TDEC's responses to public comments, please click the link below.
Photographs provided by Jennifer Porter, Cheryl Chessor, and Cassie Coleman