Something stinks in Wilson County, Tennessee. And the community says it isn't just the summer heat. Families have watched as smelly, murky water pooled in their yards.
Local environmental groups are gearing up to take the legal fight straight to the company they say is behind this disaster. The Water and Waste Authority and its contractor are both accused of letting polluted water seep into the community.
According to WSMV, the Southern Environmental Law Center warned Wilson County's utility and a contractor called Adenus Operations that a lawsuit was incoming if they didn't clean up their mess. The group says polluted water has been seeping into neighborhoods and has even gotten into Old Hickory Lake. Residents in Ridgewater took photos showing standing water just a few feet from front doors and creeping toward creeks.
Stephanie Biggs, a staff attorney with the group, put it bluntly: "Letting polluted wastewater flow into our creeks and lakes isn't just disgusting, it's a public health hazard." She doesn't think anyone should have to worry about sewage pollution while gardening in their yard or having fun at Old Hickory Lake.
This isn't the only matter the utility provider may have to answer for. According to WSMV, when LaGuardo Elementary opened last year, the company had to rely on a temporary pump-and-haul system because it failed to get the right permits in time. Possible violations of the Clean Water Act are also mentioned in the court notice filed by attorneys representing the environmental groups.
Sewage spills do more than just look bad and stink up the place. They make people and pets sick. Parents shouldn't have to worry about what's in the puddle their children or pets are splashing around in. The runoff can also put toxins in local streams, harming wildlife and damaging entire local ecosystems.
And it's not just Tennessee. In Australia, one report showed tiny plastic bits sliding right through water treatment plants and into rivers. Texas researchers found the same: microplastics that dodge most filters. This kind of pollution sticks around -- and sometimes travels farther than expected.
That lawsuit could force the utility to clean up its act. Scientists elsewhere are rolling out wild ideas -- think oil-water filters in China, sludge-cleaning reed beds in Oman, and even farm-friendly yeast to stop polluted runoff before it starts. The bottom line: Families here want to let their kids play outside and go fishing without second thoughts.
They're not just fighting for clean water. They're fighting for peace of mind right at home.