A major crisis has hit the city of Germantown as residents have been left without clean drinking water for over five days. The water reservoir that supplies the city was contaminated with diesel fuel, rendering it unfit for consumption, personal hygiene, and even cooking.
On Thursday, July 20, 2023, city officials discovered a generator leaking diesel fuel into Germantown’s main underground water reservoir, according to ABC24.
Another report suggests an underground pipe carrying water was cracked, exposing the water supply to diesel fuel-tainted soil.
This leak resulted in a complete shutdown of the city’s water supply, as boiling the water would not suffice to eliminate the oil-based contaminant. As a result, residents have been left unable to drink, cook, shower, or perform other essential activities that require water.
The city, a conservative suburb of Memphis, and the surrounding areas have already been grappling with three severe storms that hit within the past month, knocking out power to thousands of homes. The water crisis has made things even more difficult for the locals.
“The city of Germantown, TN has been without ANY drinking water for at least [5] days!” a local resident told The Gateway Pundit.
“Apparently, the water reservoir was contaminated with diesel fuel. Boiling water will not eliminate the oil, so the people cannot drink, take showers, cook, or anything. Restaurants, hair salons and any other business that requires water are shut down.
“In the past month, Memphis and surrounding areas have been hammered by three severe storms that knocked out power to thousands. Memphis is like a third-world country. Germantown is the conservative suburb of Memphis.”
Residents east of Forest Hill Irene Road received the all clear on Sunday, July 23, 2023. However, much of the city is still without clean water, a situation that has led to increasing frustration and anxiety among the residents, News3 Channel reported.
The city leaders said they had not been through anything like this before.
In response to the crisis, Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo declared a state of emergency and has been working with local crews to address the situation.
Emergency response teams have been working tirelessly since the spill, flushing the water system and applying chemicals to remove the fuel. However, the progress has been slow, and residents are nearing their breaking point.
“We want to make sure it’s safe for them to consume,” said Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo.
“I don’t want to give our people a false sense of hope and security that it will come back, that everything comes back negative, but we’re hopeful.”
“We will have a comprehensive after-action assessment of the water treatment facility to make sure that it is up to standards,” Palazzolo added.
“We just recently had testing done by the state for traditional water quality, we passed all those with flying colors,” he concluded.
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