Summary

TDEC completed a water test in Friendsville seeking to ascertain if any petroleum had polluted the water line after work on the main line Monday.

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TDEC water tests at Friendsville home prove negative

From Staff Reports
Originally published: June 17. 2009 3:01AM
Last modified: June 16. 2009 10:43PM

Initial testing of the tap water at a Friendsville woman's home has found no pollution from petroleum products.

Karen Fortner, who lives near Main Street and North Farnum, filed a complaint with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation on Monday. She said the tap water in her home was cloudy and smelled of gasoline after crews from the city of Friendsville repaired a broken water main nearby.

TDEC took water samples at Fortner's home and sent them to a lab for quick turnaround testing. Tisha Calabrese Benton, TDEC communications director, said the initial tests came back negative.

"The first round of results came back and they meet water quality standards," she said. "We tested for volatile organic compounds found in petroleum products. There were none found. There is nothing that exceeds drinking water standards."

The agency has ordered further, more-in-depth testing of the water, Benton said.

The state is already investigating allegations of groundwater pollution near Fortner's home. In April, employees of Chattanooga-based Tri-State drilled groundwater monitoring wells on Main Street in Friendsville under the direction of TDEC, which is investigating the possible presence of chemicals related to leaking gasoline storage tanks from old businesses.