All customers of City of Camden Water System are under a boil water and water conservation advisory after a tanker crash damaged a 100-foot segment of the system’s main water line on Nov. 25, 2024.
Residents in Benton County are being told to conserve and boil water after a Monday evening crash on Highway 70 damaged a water main that supplies most of the county with water from the Tennessee River.
An estimated 10,000 people could be without water until the break is repaired, Benton County Sheriff Kenny Christopher said Tuesday. The boil water advisory applies to all City of Camden Water System customers. Several residents have reported having no access to water on the system’s Facebook page.
Benton County schools and the Benton County Courthouse are closed, Benton County Emergency Management Agency Director Richard Kee said Tuesday.
“Everything that Camden supplies all the way up nearly to the interstate, unless they’ve got their own well, if they’re on Camden Water System, then they’re going to be out of water just shortly, if they are not already,” Christopher said.
Utility crews must wait to repair the water main until a tank carrying chemicals is safely removed from the area, according to a statement from City of Camden Water Department Superintendent John Beasley.
Three passenger vehicles and a semi truck carrying a tank of chemicals collided on Highway 70 East around 5 p.m. Monday, killing one person. The semi truck hit a guardrail and separated from the tank, which careened down an embankment and damaged about 100 feet of the critical water main, according to Christopher and Beasley.
The water line feeds the Camden Water Treatment Plant and the entirety of the Camden Water System, Beasley said.
The tank contains more than 40,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia, typically used as agricultural fertilizer. The chemical is stored and transported in liquid form in special pressurized tanks, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The fertilizer “aggressively seeks out moisture” due to its lack of water and physical contact can result in serious injuries.
Christopher and Kee said the cargo tank is not thought to be leaking, but will be inspected thoroughly.
Before the tank can be moved, the ammonia must be pumped into a different tanker truck, Christopher said.
The water utility will conduct bacterial tests throughout the water system once the repairs are complete and the system’s water pressure is restored, according to Beasley. Until then, all customers should use bottled water or bring all water to a boil for at least three minutes and allow it to cool before drinking, freezing, or using water to brush teeth, wash dishes or prepare food.
Residents can collect one case of bottled water per household at a distribution center set up at the old Walmart at 190 Highway 641 North, Post Oak Avenue entrance. Second Harvest Food Bank of West Tennessee and Camden Walmart provided the initial supply of bottled water, according to Beasley.
Christopher said he has contacted the offices of U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and U.S. Rep. David Kustoff to request assistance to obtain more safe water supply.
Traffic on Highway 70 has been reduced to one alternating lane until further notice, Christopher said.