State officials are monitoring an alleged milk spill from the Prairie Farms dairy facility last week after complaints that Lick Creek was running white.
Locals from Overton Park to the Vollintine Evergreen neighborhood posted photos, comments, and questions online about the creek. Some neighbors said the cause was a milk spill from the Prairie Farms dairy facility on Madison. One commenter said Prairie Farms contacted him to say the spill was from a clogged sewer drain and that the problem would not happen again.
Prairie Farms did not respond to a request for comment.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) responded to complaints from locals. However, investigators did not find much.
“TDEC investigated Lick Creek last week after receiving complaints of discolored water,” TDEC spokeswoman Kim Schofinski said in a statement. “TDEC staff did not observe any abnormal conditions on their site visit.
“However, TDEC will remain in close communication with the complainants and the city of Memphis regarding this location as our investigation continues.”
City officials said they were aware of the problem but could not give any information about it.
“The city’s Storm Water team is aware of the concerns at this location and, there is currently an active investigation regarding the complaint,” said Arlenia Cole, a spokeswoman in Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s office.
When asked if any more information was available or to speak with someone in the city’s storm water department, Cole said, “this is an active investigation and we are unable to add more context.”
Milk spills can upset ecosystems as it sucks oxygen from the water and can kill wildlife. In 2020, grocery store workers in Iowa poured 800 gallons of spoiled milk into a storm drain. That milk reached a tributary of a nearby creek, and killed fish.
This story will be updated with any new details.
