E. TN Residents Face Landslides, Contaminated Water In Wake Of Fall's Massive Fires
EDIT
Matt Church, director of hazmat services for the Nashville-based company Premier Protective Services Inc., warned authorities of the decreasing water quality in the area. The company has been working in Gatlinburg since Dec. 1, according to Church. “The fires are out, the emotions are still here, and the long-term effects on the water quality is near,” he said. “The soot and ash on the properties that are left unattended is detrimental.”
Church said his company has found high levels of contaminants in several areas including Baskins Creek, Roaring Fork and Little Pigeon River. “When I say contaminants, if the property’s sitting there 104 days post-loss, the levels of lead, asbestos and everything else is going into the water."
Church said, “If the pollution’s being discharged on the property, there’s insurance for that,” and urged the city to pass an ordinance requiring insurance companies to clean up the pollutants.
Erik Cooper of Acuity Risk Consultants spoke after Church and said dead trees on Ski Mountain above Ripley's Aquarium and "the unstabilization of the slope" from incinerated undergrowth may cause mudslides if the area receives substantial rainfall. Cooper said the process of hydroseeding — distributing plant seeds in a stream of water — has thus far been done incorrectly "because they’re only spraying what they can reach from the road" whereas "they need to spray from a higher elevation."
EDIT
http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/tennessee/2017/03/14/gatlinburg-victims-raw-pollution-erosion-threaten-city/99174516/