Wastewater treatment plant

[shenandoah_angler]

This is pretty disturbing....do any of you guys fish this river?

http://www.wbir.com/rss/article/164827/2/Developing-Gatlinburg-sewage-storage-tanks-fails-sends-waste-into-river?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[cmayes]

When did this happen? I've been out of state. I have never fished the LPR, but, I was planning a trip or two this summer to try some new water. Hope I don't have to change tose plans.

[Mick_T]

This has been an accident waiting to happen (in some form or another) for years. G'burg's wastewater facilities have been woefully inadequate for years because of the growth the area has seen. I do not fish the LPR during the summer b/c of tourist season (peak loads for the system) and the flows are so low that time of year. Combine that with warm water temps, and you can get some serious water quality issues. The good news (if there is any) is that the river is rolling on pretty hard today after the rains, so most of the turdlets should get washed right on down to Knoxville. (can I say turdlets on this forum? If not I'm sorry, and I will edit and refrain from its further use). Hopefully TDEC and the EPA will step in and correct the situation that has gone unchecked for years. I was planning on fishing there in the next few days myself.

EDIT: After further research, there were no turdlets present in the spill. Just stormwater, pee, and turd water- 1.5 to 3.2 million gallons worth.

[WeddingtonGator]

I shouldn't look at this while eating lunch.

[blake]

That plant leaks all the time. I guess it final blew out. Roughly 55 cfs for an hour (if it were spread out equally for an hour).

EDIT: it looks like Mick_T beat me to it while I was doing the cfs conversion.

[LowHybred09]

What a way to go. Feel bad for those two missing people.

[Stump]

Is the LPR the one that the Champion Mill dumps into? If so a sewage spill could only help the water quality.

[riverlover]

Man I hate to hear that.

[Mick_T]

I believe the champion mill dumps into the Pigeon River. Both it and the Little Pigeon are tribs of the French Broad, but the LP does not flow into the Pigeon. Then we have the Little River just down the road. It's confusing as heck keeping all these rivers straight.

[Mick_T]

That plant leaks all the time. I guess it final blew out. Roughly 55 cfs for an hour (if it were spread out equally for an hour).

EDIT: it looks like Mick_T beat me to it while I was doing the cfs conversion.

I doubt this will have any long-term or significant short-term effects for this river. The river peaked earlier today at around 6000 CFS in Sevierville. This is below its confluence with the Greenbriar branch, but I would imagine most of the wastewater has been well diluted by now, and well on its way to Knoxville. The spill occured on the larger of the two streams. And like Blake said, the chili pot has had a crack in it for a long time now, and has been seeping worse stuff at lower flows with much higher water temps. Signs have been posted for years warning to avoid contact with the water along the spur below the plant.

I hope they find the two missing workers. A very indignant way to die if that's the case.

[blake]

WBIR is reporting workers have been found. Unfortunately both perished behind a collapsed wall.

Yes the papermill in Canton dumps (no longer Champion owned, it has switched hands several times) into the Pigeon (along I-40). The sewage is on the Little Pigeon which is what runs from Gatlinburg to Severville. Don't even get started on the various pigeon forks and greenbriers.

Also my sewage calculations above were based on 1.5 million gallons, they have down graded that to 850,000 or so.

[RedHeron]

Just FYI, the paper mill in Canton is now owned by Blue Ridge Paper. Been there a few times. I don't know much about their water treatment policies/procedures, though.

[blake]

I don't know much about their water treatment policies/procedures, though. They don't have very many. Years of dioxin release right at powerhouse intake to be released at the state line. These days it is issues with tannins, so many it chokes the biologicals upon release. Very sore subject for many Tennesseans, as NC won't enforce any water quality standards. Every time they do, mill threatens to close down and/or lose jobs. PS I believe the name has changed again from BlueRidge. BlueRidge has been busy in US district court fighting water quality issues, brought on by riparian land owners in TN.

[Mick_T]

The paper plant basically eliminated all life from the river.Efforts are underway now to restock it since it is no longer totally toxic. The ironic thing about NC not enforcing water quality laws is that they sued TVA over air quality issues. They claimed their coal-fire plants were damaging the air on the NC side.

[Stump]

I know a few locals up there that got real PO'd about the fly fishing boom after "A River Runs Through It" came out. They would send all the wannabes up there behind the mill whenever asked.:cool:

[Mick_T]

Back to the spill- they're saying now that about 2,000,000 gallons a day go through the plant, and until repairs are made, will go straight into the river.

[Wolka Buzz]

I have fished the WPLP for years and have done really good on the the smallies down stream between Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. This river dumps into the French Broad below Douglas Lake. The Big Pigeon with the other water problems dumps into the French Broad above Douglas Lake about 50 miles apart. I hope it did not kill too many fish because it was some really good wade fishing in that stream. Terry

[Harv]

Does anyone know how much damage was done to the river?

[Mick_T]

TWRA says they don't expect a fish kill at all because of the flood waters diluting the waste. The plant isn't dumping untreated waste into the river anymore, but they also aren't at full capacity either. They were dumping chlorine in to sterilize the water, but the river was still running high. The real damage may come this summer during peak tourist season, lowest flows, and warmest water. We'll see how well their jerry-rigged water treatment plant works then. I guess we'll have to all take turns flushing so it doesn't blow up again.

[smfisher]

We had one here on one of our rivers last year and it was in the heat of the summer and low water conditions. To add to it they discovered a local petroleum distributor had a steady leak from his operation into the river. It caused a fish kill and created an ongoing problem they are still trying to stop.This flow will be decades getting back to what it was if it ever does.

[Mick_T]

Just an update- TDEC still has an advisory on contact with the water, but e. coli levels are not elevated. We'll see how long the signs stay up. Maybe long enough to thin down the fishing pressure some.