Hatchie River dispute continues
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BROWNSVILLE, Tenn. — The Hatchie River in Haywood County may soon change from a nature refuge to a dumping site. “They have put in a permit to allow heavy metal to be put into the river,” Belinda Sellari said. Now decision time is approaching, which could soon allow small amounts of metal to be pumped into the river from the Memphis Regional Megasite near Brownsville. “Heavy metals build up and they will be there forever, and they will build up forever and they will ruin the river,” Sellari said. “We are dealing with a river that under law that is supposed to be protected and allowed to be meandered since God created it,” Bill Walker said. Walker started protecting the Hatchie more than 40 years ago in Tennessee’s Scenic Rivers Act, which protects scenic rivers from pollution. “I am calling on the administration, and this includes the governor, to obey the laws they are sworn to obey,” Walker said. The decision will soon lie in the hands of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation at the end of this month.. “The decisions that are made in the waste water going to the Hatchie will set a precedent on other decisions,” Walker said. We reached out to the Brownsville Energy Authority, but they declined to comment on the permit. TDEC says people will have until June 26 to submit public comment concerning the permit.
