Our mission statement
— To be an advocate for social and economic progress, ethical behavior, efficient use of public resources and an improved quality of life. — To act independently and fairly. — To celebrate the successes of Greater Memphis and surrounding areas.
— To be the forum for ideas and opinions of public interest.
Providing a private plant access to public drinking water with little to no regulation is a disaster waiting to happen (“TVA project puts focus on water use,” Sept. 19). Just look at the Florida community that recently had a radioactive leak into its aquifer from a private plant due to a sinkhole. A sinkhole can occur when the land surface area changes or from drilling.
That the plant has almost full, unregulated control of the wells, with only a few rules saying how far it can drill from septic tanks and fuel lines, is concerning, especially if a sinkhole develops over time. Water is becoming a precious resource. Flint, Michigan, and the state of California are both suffering from lack of water or safe drinking options. Every drop counts, and it is concerning that there seems to be no worry that the water table in our aquifer will lower by at least seven feet over time.
This prediction of water level does not even take into account future rain falls or drought in the Memphis area. Why does the Health Department regulate such permits? What scientific or geological expertise went into the decision to allow the permits or the regulations?
There are other options to cool the TVA plant, but the argument has been that those options are costlier. What is more important than clean, safe drinking water? Water is life.
The plant and the TVA should explore other options and leave the public’s precious resource alone.
Literally billions of people around the globe lack pure drinking water. It’s probably the greatest problem in our world, and for the future of human beings on this planet.
We in Memphis are blessed with a marvelous, pure, abundant supply of water.
Why would any so-called public servant take the slightest chance of ruining our greatest asset for future generations by allowing TVA to draw out billions of gallons from surrounding aquifers, which will eventually pollute our amazing water supply?
Why could TVA not research filtering water from the Mississippi River?
Last weekend, our country was hit by terrorist attacks by Muslims from two war-torn countries — this time, Somalia and Afghanistan. In recent months there has been a big push to accept more refugees from Syria, a predominantly Muslim, war-torn country. We have been assured that they will all be subject to thorough vetting. The latest terrorists weren’t refugees, but they were men from predominantly Muslim, war-torn countries.
The refugees are and would be from predominantly Muslim, wartorn countries. So why weren’t these vetting techniques used on the Somali and the Afghan? Perhaps these miraculous vetting methods are new. If so, what are they? If not, then on what basis can anyone legitimately claim that more terrorists won’t be let into this country? If anyone can answer these questions, please share. I’d really like to know.