Environmental group calls for water conservation as drought saps Duck River

Freshly dead mussel shells glisten in the sunlight in just a few inches of water in the Duck River on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. The river is low due to drought, and environmental advocates fear plans to increase water withdrawals for utilities will further damage the river. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

Spears of sunlight pierce through the trees to illuminate dust clouds on the winding dirt road to Doug Jones’ riverside property in Centerville, Tenn. Weeks of dry, hot weather have left the ground parched. Down the road, about 100 feet of riverbank usually submerged in the Duck River lies exposed, dotted with the pearly, iridescent shells of recently perished freshwater mussels.

Most of Hickman County was enveloped by “extreme drought” as of Sept. 3, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor . Water flow levels along the Duck River have fallen to levels comparable to a severe drought in 2007 and 2008, United States Geological Survey data shows.

But it’s the increase in dead mussels that environmental advocates find particularly disturbing.

Freshwater mussel expert Don Hubbs combed the banks of the Duck River from Shelbyville to Columbia in mid-July when water levels were low, but not yet as low as they are now. In locations near existing or proposed sites where eight utility companies draw water from the river, Hubbs found 565 “fresh dead” mussels, more than half of which were federally protected species.

Ankle-deep in the river on Jones’ land on Sept. 5, Hubbs hefted a 1.5-pound Washboard mussel from the water. Named for the ridges on their shells, Washboard mussels can live up to 100 years, Hubbs said. The 10-inch specimen in his hand was likely 50 years old. One that size can filter bacteria and algae from up to 50 gallons of water each day, he said.

“We have the responsibility … to protect these resources, because in the end, mussels are doing their job for us here every day, filtering the water, supporting fisheries … they’re integral parts of the aquatic ecosystem, and they’re the first to go and they’re the last to come back,” Hubbs said.

Mussels are “like canaries in the coal mine,” Southern Environmental Law Center Tennessee Director George Nolan said. Their deaths signal a “state of crisis” for the Duck River, a sign that one of the most biodiverse rivers in North America is at risk.

The SELC called on Tennessee officials in late August to take immediate action to conserve water and protect the river “from impending peril.” Triggers for the Duck River Development Agency ‘s current decade-old drought management plan are flawed, failing to truly reflect downstream river health, Nolan said. Water utilities and cities have done little to publicly encourage reducing water consumption, with the exception of Spring Hill , he said.

Last week, the agency declared the river to be in a Stage 1 River Drought” and asked “all downstream entities to enact voluntary water conservation measures,” limiting non-essential uses like outdoor recreation, filling pools, irrigation and washing driveways and sidewalks. It’s also launching a Drought Response Team composed of state and local officials who will assess conditions weekly and “escalate the response if needed,” Duck River Agency Executive Director Doug Murphy said in a statement.

But the SELC is also pushing for stricter limits on the percentage of riverflow that water utilities can remove from the river, particularly during times of drought. As Middle Tennessee rapidly develops, the state is considering a plan that would allow utility companies to withdraw up to 73 million gallons from the river per day, an increase of 19 million gallons from the current ceiling.

For environmental advocates, that’s cause for alarm.

This year, the Duck River is listed among American Rivers’ 10 most endangered rivers thanks to threats posed by “excessive water withdrawals,” according to the Washington D.C.-based organization.

“There is well-deserved attention that’s being applied to (the Duck River), and it’s really time for our government leaders to step forward and start protecting the river,” Nolan said.

How much is too much?

At 284 miles long, the Duck River is the longest river entirely situated within Tennessee’s borders, according to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

The state agency is in the process of issuing water withdrawal permits for eight utility companies that pull water from the river, approving its first three permits in March. The SELC is challenging those permits in court on behalf of the Tennessee Wildlife Federation, claiming they do not sufficiently protect the river’s wildlife, water quality and health.

Environmental advocacy groups like the SELC want permits to feature stricter limits on waste due to leakage, robust drought management plans with water withdrawal “guardrails” and daily public reports from utilities about their rates of withdrawal. Moreover, they want a long-term plan that takes the health of the entire watershed into account.

Rep. Jody Barrett, R-Dickson, said each utility has its own drought plan, which is different from the Duck River Development Agency’s plan. They each have their own indicators, which can be “self-serving.”

Water wars: groups challenge ‘unsustainable’ withdrawals from Duck River

He wants to see Gov. Bill Lee and TDEC put pressure on utility companies to enact their drought management plans. He’d also like to see consideration of long-term solutions, perhaps including piping water from the Tennessee River to communities that need it.

“Nobody is looking below the last public intake in the river, which is Columbia, to see what the effects are downstream,” Barrett said. Hickman County’s main water source is the Duck River, and it is directly impacted by decisions made upriver.

“We rely on the folks upstream of us on the river to not take too much,” Barrett said.

Hickman County Mayor Jim Bates wrote a letter to Lee on Aug. 30 in “strong opposition” to requests to withdraw more water near Columbia, which could have “significant downstream effects” on the entire watershed, impacting agriculture, recreation and wildlife health.

“It is imperative that we prioritize the preservation of our natural ecosystem and the health of our rivers over short-term industrial or municipal needs,” Bates wrote.

Lee’s office could not be reached for comment.

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Landowner Doug Jones and Rep. Jody Barrett, R-Dickson, believe the Duck River is in danger because of water withdrawal upstream. (Photo: John Partipilo/ Tennessee Lookout)

Don Hubbs of DJH Biological Services picks up various kinds of dead freshwater mussels in the Duck River. Mussels are considered the "canary in the coal mine" when it comes to overall river health. (Photo: John Partipilo/ Tennessee Lookout)

A bank of dry rocks and dead mussel shells shows how far the water level of the Duck River has receded in Centerville, Tenn. (Photo: John Partipilo/ Tennessee Lookout)

Murphy, the Duck River Development Agency director, wrote in an email that the balance of providing water that is both sustainable for the environment and supportive of economic growth can be best protected by using “good science and decision models” of the river.

Nolan said the current drought condition measures are fundamentally flawed — the Duck River Development Agency’s Drought Management Plan is based on water levels behind Normandy Dam, which don’t reflect down-river levels.

Murphy said parts of the Upper Duck River Basin are connected to the ground water table, and this can pull back portions of the river during times of severe drought.

“Regulatory flows are being met at the targets which have always provided flows that are adequate to protect aquatic life,” he wrote. “Perhaps what we are experiencing is more of the river being used to replenish the ground water table which has caused low flows in a section of the river.”

Models are rarely “completely accurate,” Nolan said. “I think the real proof is what’s happening on the river. And when you have hundreds of endangered freshwater mussels that are dying up and down the river during a period of drought and no one is … doing anything to ratchet down the water consumption, from our perspective, that’s a problem.”

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