August 13, 2021
By: Dwayne Page
Four days after several dead fish were found floating in Hickman Creek at Alexandria, environmental officials are still asking the public to avoid the small stream until the investigation is complete.
DeKalb County Emergency Management Agency Director Charlie Parker issued the following updated public advisory late Thursday:
“Officials are still advising the public to avoid fishing or wading in Hickman Creek also to use an alternate source for watering cattle. The affected area of Hickman Creek is from Edgewood Street in Alexandria approximately 1 ½ mile downstream to the Hwy 53 bridge”.
“As of today, EPA contractors have located and identified seepage that was going into Hickman Creek. The contractors have started some remediation to limit and control the amount of material that can enter the creek. EPA contractors also began aeration downstream of the impacted water to mitigate further impacts to the creek. Officials are still awaiting lab results from water samples to determine exactly what the material is,” said Parker
“In response to questions from concerned citizens the Alexandria municipal water supply is still SAFE to drink. Alexandria’s drinking water is purchased from Smith County Utility District and is not taken from Hickman creek”.
“Representatives on site include The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), DeKalb County Emergency Management, and the town of Alexandria,” added Parker.