US Nitrogen Issues River Report

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

A Greene County Tennessee chemical firm has disclosed that it pumped a little over 18 million gallons of water from the Nolichucky River in June, slightly less than the prior month.
The report filed with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation also showed US Nitrogen, the ammonium nitrate manufacturer, discharged 7.67 million gallons back into the river. Both totals are just slightly less than the company reported the month before.
The May totals were 19.44 million gallons were withdrawn while 7.7 million was discharged.
The company, a subsidiary of explosives manufacturer Austin Powder, gets to use the water under its TDEC permits without paying for it. The water is pumped to and from the river through 12 mile pipelines which were installed under a state permit which is the subject of an ongoing legal challenge.
According to the TDEC report the Midway company drew very little water from the river on the first three days of the month but on four days beginning June 5 the company pumped over a million gallons from the Nolichucky. Again on June 18 and June 20 more than one million gallons was drawn by the company.
The largest discharges back into the river came on seven days of the month when over a half million gallons were discharged.
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