The annual water quality report is now available for viewing on the City of Oak Ridge website, and the report says Oak Ridge water was in compliance with state and federal drinking water requirements, a press release said.
You can read the report here: www.oakridgetn.gov/online/water-quality-2020.
Also known as the Consumer Confidence Report, it was mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1998 as an amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act, the press release said.
[Read more…]
Natalie Griffiths (Submitted photo)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory researcher Natalie Griffiths will talk about stream ecology research she’s been involved in and the lessons to be learned from her research at the upcoming Emory River Watershed Association, or ERWA, Annual Meeting on Tuesday, January 3, at the Obed Wild and Scenic River Visitor Center.
The 6 p.m. meeting will also feature a report on the Crooked Fork project by Mike Sale. There is no charge for attending the meeting, and there will be a potluck supper. ERWA will provide sandwiches and beverages, plates, etc., a press release said. There will be a silent dessert auction. [Read more…]
To the Editor:
Oak Ridgers are fortunate in having a candidate of the caliber of Ellen Smith willing to once again serve on City Council, where, between 2007 and 2012, we benefited greatly from her wise, intelligent, and highly informed voice.
In addition to her service on Council, Ellen has long been involved in community affairs, and has participated in local government. This, plus her professional background, has made her a strong and consistent advocate for protecting the environmental values of lands and waters of the city and of the Oak Ridge Reservation.
Her activities have also given her a broad understanding of governmental matters additional to the diverse environmental issues and concerns that face Oak Ridge. She is committed to be part of a community leadership that recognizes the challenges we face and makes choices that maximize our assets and opportunities. [Read more…]
State and federal officials announce a plant to treat mercury-contaminated water at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Pictured from left are Mark Whitney, Robert Martineau, Lamar Alexander, Dave Huizenga, and Stan Meiburg.
Cleanup work in Oak Ridge could shift from radiological contamination to mercury contamination, and a new $120 million water treatment plant at the Y-12 National Security Complex will help reduce mercury as workers tear down four contaminated buildings that were used to make nuclear weapons in the 1950s and 1960s, officials announced Friday.
“This water treatment plant is a major step in addressing one of the biggest problems we have from the Cold War era—mercury once used to make nuclear weapons getting into our waterways,” said U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican. He said mercury contamination can cause brain and nervous system damage in people who eat contaminated fish.
Alexander was at Y-12 on Friday along with other federal and state officials to help announce the new water treatment plant, which will be at the head of East Fork Poplar Creek on the south side of Y-12’s main production area. The plant would be connected to a Y-12 storm water system, and it could begin operating in 2019. It would be able to treat 1,500 gallons of mercury-contaminated water per minute. [Read more…]
