US Nitrogen Drew 400 + Million River Gallons

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

US Nitrogen LLC has drawn some 400 million gallons of free water from the Nolichucky River under a controversial Tennessee permit which it now wants to renew for another two years.
Monthly reports filed with the state Department of Conservation and Environment show the chemical manufacturing firm has also discharged some 200 million gallons of wastewater back in to the Eastern Tennessee waterway.
Recently the company filed an application to renew the current permit, which expires in early June, to mid-June 2021.
The controversial permit is one of two unique permits that has aroused the ire of environmental activists in the region. The other permit, granted by the Tennessee Department of Transportation, allowed US Nitrogen to install dual pipelines along two state highways from mile 20 of the Nolichucky River to the company's manufacturing facilities in Midway Greene County.
TDEC disclosed earlier this week that it will hold a public hearing on the renewal request on May 18 at the West Greene High School in Greeneville beginning at 5 p.m. The permit has saved the firm millions in fees it would have incurred if it had to purchase the water and have wastewater processed through authorized treatment facilities as first proposed.
In the most recent report covering the month of March, the company reported it drew 15.8 million gallons from the Nolichucky while discharging 13.8 million gallons back into the river.
On six days in March the company drew more than one million gallons from the river. The highest single total was 1.16 million gallons drawn on March 15. On 13 days during March the company discharged more than 500,00 gallons back into the river. On one day, March 24, there was no discharge to the river.
In prior monthly reports the company, a subsidiary of explosives manufacturer Austin Powder, reported withdrawing 19.4 million gallons from the Nolichucky in May of 2018. More than 18 million was pumped from the river on four days since March of 2018. The largest discharge into the river over the same period was 13.8 million gallons in March of this year.
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