TDEC Hearing Recap
On Wednesday, February 11, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation held a public hearing on a request from Limestone (also known as Central States Water Resources or CSWR) to expand their wastewater treatment facility in River Rest.
For those unfamiliar with the history: CSWR’s heavy trucks have caused significant damage to Recreation Road, which is privately owned by the River Rest HOA and serves as the only access to their facility. Despite years of wear on our infrastructure, there has been no accountability. Now they want to expand, which means more construction traffic and more damage. This hearing was our opportunity to ask questions and voice concerns.
For reference:
Wade Murphy, head of TDEC, opened by explaining the request, followed by about 45 minutes of public Q&A. Before the public comment portion could begin, however, CSWR president Josiah Cox took the microphone to address the crowd. He assured us that this request was not for the purpose of expanding their service area.
This directly contradicts page 50 of CSWR’s own application:
“The applicant, via its engineering design consultant, Goodwyn Mills Cawood, LLC (GMC), proposes to replace and expand the current municipal wastewater treatment plant to provide continued wastewater treatment for existing sewer customers and to new customers through additions to the service area.”
After his remarks, Mr. Cox and his colleagues walked out the back door, before any residents had the chance to deliver public comments. I thought this was inappropriate, so I followed him into the hallway. I had asked Hope Salman of Fox 17 to attend the hearing, and she followed us out along with several other attendees.
I asked Mr. Cox to explain the contradiction between what he had just told us and what his company had submitted in writing. His response was that the expanded service area “might” refer to current customers who happen to live outside the permitted boundary. That explanation doesn’t hold up against the plain language of the application.
I also raised the issue of road damage. Since CSWR must use Recreation Road to access their facility, and since expansion will require heavy construction equipment, I told Mr. Cox we need a contractual agreement governing their use of our private road. He agreed in principle. Randy Jewell, treasurer of the River Rest HOA, stepped forward with a draft agreement the board had prepared in anticipation of this moment. Mr. Cox declined to consider it.
TDEC is accepting public comments through Saturday, February 21. If you’d like to weigh in on the road access issue, the contradiction in CSWR’s stated intentions, or any other concern, please email Wade Murphy at wade.murphy@tn.gov
Thank you Cory. That was a very concise report of the meeting. It was frustrating the Limestone representative walked out without hearing us out.
This is a prime example of the quality of the company that we have been trying to collaborate with. Limestone showed its true colors to everyone in the room that day.
They are not concerned in any capacity of their impact on the residents they "serve", the environment around them or the safety of either.
Everyone should receive the message they wanted to make very clearly: Limestone will execute what they desire and nothing else matters but what they seek to profit.