Duck River Faces Dual Threats: Drought and Increased Water Withdrawals Spark Urgent Environmental Concerns

Environmentalists say the Duck River is facing two critical issues at the same time: historic drought conditions and public utilities and industry sucking a large amount of water out of the river. Right now, eight public water utility companies along the Duck River are seeking permits to remove an additional 19 million gallons of water a day from the river. The water companies say they need the additional water because of all the growth in communities upstream from Hickman County — like Shelbyville and Columbia. In the short term, the Southern Environmental Law Center wants Gov. Bill Lee to use emergency power to curtail water usage on the Duck River. Long term, it may be time for communities upriver to look for alternative water sources like getting access to the Cumberland River.