Justin J. Pearson, left, grew up near the Allen Fossil Plant, right, which has polluted local water sources. Photos courtesy of the Southern Environmental Law Center
Tipping Point covers environmental justice stories about and, where possible, written by people in the communities experiencing the stark reality of our changing planet.
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But the new report from CAESER found there is a potential gap in the clay layer that separates these two water sources. “The findings show that water from the surface is starting to move vertically downward,” said Houston, who until recently was an associate director at CAESER. “That’s where the concern lies: The arsenic is not there yet, but it’s coming towards us; it’s almost like a ticking time bomb that we need to disarm immediately.”A spokesperson for the Tennessee Valley Authority referred VICE News to a press release, which described the study as “preliminary” and “tentative.” “The Memphis aquifer is a precious natural resource and TVA remains committed to its continued protection,” J. Cedric Adams, principal project manager at the Allen Fossil Plant, said in the release. “It is important to note that publicly available data shows that activities at the Allen Fossil Plant have not impacted the Memphis aquifer.”The arsenic is “like a ticking time bomb that we need to disarm immediately”
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