Tennessee Riverkeeper November Newsletter Recap

Here's what Tennessee Riverkeeper has been up to this month, and there's some big news on the illegal dump front.

Major Win on "Dirt Mountain"

Metro Nashville Codes just issued a stop work order to the operators of "Dirt Mountain" (the Ray Dump case) after a jury ruled the property was operating as an unpermitted landfill. This is huge—the facility has been running for years without the proper permits, and it's one of several illegal dumps popping up across Davidson County, especially in West Nashville.

Metro Codes is now taking a closer look at what actually constitutes a landfill because of this court ruling. Residents in the area have been concerned about runoff affecting their water supply and green space when it rains. The operator can't resume work unless they get proper local approval. You can read more about it on WSMV/NBC Nashville.

Two New Pollution Cases

Tennessee Riverkeeper sent a notice of intent to sue Springfield on November 9 for violations at their sewage treatment plant. They also filed suit against Luttrell on November 4 for approximately 543 days of violations. According to WVLT/CBS Knoxville, Luttrell has been dumping polluted water into Fall Creek (which connects to the Holston River and Tennessee River) with excessive levels of E. coli, nitrogen, and waste solids since 2023.

Legal Docket Now at 14 Cases

The organization is now managing 14 active cases across Tennessee and Alabama. Recent filings include Spring Hill (September 2025) and the newly filed Luttrell case. Woodville, AL received notice of intent to sue back in September.

Settlements continue to be reached. Lebanon fixed their landfill discharge problem, Monterey built a new sewage treatment plant, and Celina agreed to full compliance with their consent order.

Active litigation includes Kingston Springs (1,099 days of violations on the Harpeth River), Sky Nashville for erosion runoff, Chapel Hill for permit violations, and the Barnes Dump case that's set for trial in early November.

Learning and Teaching at Waterkeeper Conference

Mark Martin and David Whiteside attended the annual Waterkeeper Conference in Pittsburgh last week, hosted by Three Rivers Waterkeeper. They shared knowledge with other Waterkeeper organizations on topics ranging from PFAS and microplastics to fundraising and community organizing.

Almost at 50,000 Supporters

Tennessee Riverkeeper is close to hitting 50,000 total supporters across all their social media channels—they're at 48,900 and just need 1,200 more by year's end. They're asking folks to follow them and share with friends and family across Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, Threads, Blue Sky, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

Giving Season

As the holiday season approaches, Tennessee Riverkeeper is asking for continued support to make 2026 another productive year protecting drinking water for over 6.3 million people across the South.

Read the full November newsletter: https://tennesseeriverkeeper.dm.networkforgood.com/emails/4293848