Two wastewater treatment plant workers died on Tuesday, April 5, after the wall of an equalization tank collapsed in Gatlinburg, Tenn., according to news reports. The cause of the collapse was not known, although officials said it may have been related to heavy rains in the area.
The wall collapsed at 9 a.m. in Gatlinburg, a popular tourist town. Workers with jackhammers and heavy equipment dug through the rubble and in the late afternoon recovered the bodies of John Eslinger, 53, and Don Storey, 44.
The treatment plant had been operated under a contract for the past 15 years by Veolia Water North America. News reports quoted company president Keavin Nelson as saying, "We are undertaking a comprehensive review of the facilities. In order to assure the safety of all personnel, the electrical systems are being inspected, and tested to assure no potential electrical hazard exists prior to re-energizing. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of these two men in this tragic time."
The city and Veolia were cooperating with all regulatory agencies investigating the incident. The city was subjecting incoming wastewater to primary treatment and chlorination pending repairs to the plant. About 2 mgd of partially treated wastewater was flowing into the Little Pigeon River.
The Gatlinburg plant was built in 1978. The million-gallon equalization tank, about 20 years old, was 40 feet tall and 70 feet in diameter with walls of 12-inch-thick reinforced concrete, news reports said.
The tank was about 85 percent full when it collapsed. The National Weather Service reported that a nearby national park received 2.62 inches of rain in the 24 hours before the incident.
