US Nitrogen Seeks Nolichucky Permit Renewal

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

US Nitrogen LLC, the Greene County chemical firm, is seeking to renew the permit that allows the company to discharge some 500,000 gallons of wastewater per day into the Nolichucky River.
The 45-page submission, including several appendices, lists dozens of pollutants, some of which the application states, are believed to be present when the wastewater is pumped into the river.
The permit is one of two highly controversial to be granted by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
The permit that allows the company to draw some 1.9 million gallons of water per day from the Nolichucky was renewed last year following a sparsely attended public hearing.
The discharge renewal application was submitted along with a one-page cover letter from Dylan Charles, US Nitrogen's plant manager. The current permit expires Oct. 31.
As the application states, the company's primary product is ammonium nitrate, which is used by US Nitrogen's parent company, Ohio based Austin Powder, in the production of explosives. The explosives are manufactured at a different site.
According to the application some 573,000 gallons of wastewater per day will be pumped from US Nitrogen's Midway manufacturing facility to mile marker 20.8 on the Nolichucky. In its latest monthly report to TDEC, the company reported discharging 9.4 million gallons into the Nolichucky in March
Among the chemicals the company says it believes to be present in the wastewater are bromide, fecal coliform, chlorine and molybdenum.
Copper, according to the application, is believed to be present because it is used as a treatment chemical.
In a past report the company reported that it believed that thallium was present in the water. A subsequent investigation by TDEC, however, found no trace of the chemical.
The application states that the company had two different tests performed by an outside laboratory for acute or chronic toxicity. The tests were submitted on April 30, 2017, but the application does not indicate the outcome.
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