The Environmental Projection Agency has now disposed of some 8,300 fuel and chemical containers scattered by May’s flooding. The EPA is reporting only minor spills and no long term damage.
Environmental agents were scouring Middle Tennessee until mid-June, collecting containers as small as a gallon-size gas can and as large as 50-gallon drums.
On Scene Coordinator Steve Spurlin says most of the so-called “orphan containers” were household items. But some were more dangerous.
“We found some corrosives, your acids and caustics that are common for industrial use. Those are probably one of the higher threats because of the immediate impact it would have to somebody as far as coming into contact with it.”
The largest debris fields were found in Cheatham County. Spurlin says it’s impossible to know how much leaked into flood water, but soil and water testing has raised no serious concerns for the EPA.
When the Cumberland River rose well above its banks, riverside industrial buildings were some of the first to go under. On Nester Street near Nashville’s MTA headquarters, first responders helped pump 25,000 gallons of oil-contaminated water out of a drainage system. Otherwise, Spurlin says the spills were minor.
“We didn’t see large releases. It essentially was either potential releases from the containers that had not spilled or minor releases of chemicals or oils that could be readily addressed without causing any long term issues.”
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation will be doing follow up testing.
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