Arsenic and Lead Found In Memphis Groundwater

Memphis TN – Memphis residents are as proud of their water as their barbecue and blues music. So alarms went off when state environmental officials and the Tennessee Valley Authority _ which is the nation’s largest public utility _ revealed that high levels of arsenic and lead had been found in groundwater under the coal-fired Allen Fossil Plant in southwest Memphis.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen is pressing the Tennessee Valley Authority and state regulators for more information about the discovery of excessive levels of arsenic and lead in groundwater under a coal-fired power plant.

Cohen’s office said in a statement Monday that the Memphis Democrat sent a letter to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation asking the agency why it believes toxins found under the TVA’s Allen Fossil Plant in Memphis are not affecting drinking water.