Owen Hensley is 84 years old. He has lived in East Polk County all his life except for four years of military service. Others were younger and some proudly claimed Polk County as home for only a few years.
Some spoke of their own experiences, others with educated knowledge and some straight from the heart.
But no matter their age, how long they have lived in Polk County, or anything else that would make them different, they all spoke with a common purpose – stop the trucking and spreading of biosolids in East Polk County.
One side of the Copper Basin Elementary School gym was filled Saturday afternoon as concerned citizens gathered to have their voices heard at a town hall meeting organized by Polk County Third District Commissioner Samantha Trantham.
One at a time concerns of what biosolids could do to the environment and tourism industry of Polk County filled the air.
Lawrence Gale’s CPA office is near where biosolids are being spread at Copperhill Industries by its owner, Buddy Haynes. Gale raised two main concerns, one being he caught E. coli when biosolids from the Moccasin Bend Wastewater Treatment Plant were being spread. He said his office is right across the highway from where “steaming masses of Class B biosolids” could be seen. While admitting he could not trace the source of his E. coli poisoning to Copperhill Industries, he warned, “If the possibility exists, I don’t want ya’all’s health to be jeopardized in any way.”
He also said Copperhill Industries does not have a county business license, voicing his opinion that without it county government has the right to shut down the operation.
One speaker referred to the health problems reported in Warren County, Tennessee, where residents experienced vomiting, diarrhea, and chronic stomach problems that were traced to biosolids.
One young man who identified himself as not having been here long, and living on West Tennessee Avenue in Copperhill, said, “We’re finally getting into a community where people want to come...If this stuff is so great, why don’t they (use it in their community)?”
In response to one speaker’s question over the legality of the biosolid spreading, Trantham said, “TDEC has come in and approved it.”
Polk County Commissioner Kelley Morgan later said she had received an email from TDEC (the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation) that said “they cared about our concerns,” then added, “But they don’t care enough to show up.”
A lady who addressed the problem of biosolids in fertilizers and other products, as well as the smell omitted during production of such products, said, “The idea of using human waste for things I need to eat is a horrible idea.”
Hensley, in his comments, attacked EPA as being a joke and asked, “If the law ain’t going to help you, what are you going to do.”
Several citizens questioned why the trucks, which have been proven to leak biosolids, are allowed to operate on highways.
Polk County Deputy Sheriff Timothy Leslie addressed the crowd and explained that the authority for checking trucks for the proper permits lies with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and is out of county deputy’s jurisdiction.
However, since the sheriff’s office has been made aware of the problems with the trucks, they will be writing citations for violations within the county’s authority. “They will be stopped and they will be cited especially if they’re leaking biosolids on the highway,” Leslie said.
A resident of Turtletown shared his experience living in Minnesota where “an enormous amount of PFAS,” one of the chemicals found in biosolids, has polluted the water supply and both 3M and Dupont had settled lawsuits in the billions of dollars because of the problem.
As to TDEC saying biosolids are safe, he said, “Minnesota is still waiting on EPA’s recommendation of how much PFAS can be applied on land.”
He also pointed to the fertilizer plant Haynes’ spoke of at the last meeting, saying that facility has spent over $50 million to mitigate the smell it creates.
Disposal of sewage plant waste is such a problem in New York City, that government trucks its sludge, which is what Copperhill Industries receives from Cobb County, all the way to Texas.
Bill Moll, the conservation committee chairman for the Tennessee Sierra Club, said it was up to citizens to convince their state legislators if anything was to be done.
State Representative Dan Howell, who serves Polk County was not at the meeting.
He sent Trantham a message that said, in part, “I can tell you that the operation does not violate any federal or state laws and the both EPA and TDEC have visited and will continue to visit the site to ensure they are not in violation or in need of any permits.
“We would be happy to talk with you in more detail about the impact of potential legislation at your earliest convenience.”
Monica Farrow offered advice along legal avenues, saying an environmental attorney had looked at the pictures of the biosolid spill recorded by McCaysville Police Chief Michael Earley’s body camera, was aware the Atomic Transport trucks were transporting biosolids across state lines, and said the spill was definitely a violation of federal EPA law.
She talked about ways to begin a class action lawsuit against Copperhill Industries and the possibly of establishing a 501(c)3 corporation and gofundme page to start the process.
“We’re pretty smart over here. We’re going to figure it out,” Farrow said.