Protect Our Aquifer

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Protect Our Aquifer We are dedicated to protecting and conserving the Memphis Sand Aquifer.

10/05/2026

ANNOUNCING: The line-up for Acoustic Sunday Live 2026! Noel Paul Stookey, Amythyst Kiah, Darrell Scott, Cris Williamson, and special guest Kyshona Music! Tickets are on sale now! www.AcousticSundayLive.com

South Memphis is writing the first-ever groundwater protection plan and you're invited!💧Throughout 2026, residents from ...
10/01/2026

South Memphis is writing the first-ever groundwater protection plan and you're invited!💧

Throughout 2026, residents from Alcy Ball, Castalia-Magnolia Heights, and Gaslight Square have been meeting to create the first-ever community-led Groundwater Protection Plan for their neighborhoods - the neighborhoods sitting directly above one of the most vulnerable points of the Memphis Sand Aquifer.

And the next meeting is open to everyone. 👇

📅 Wednesday, October 7th | 5–7 PM
📍 Grizzlies Prep, 2230 Corry Rd
🍽️ Dinner provided
🏡 Hosted by Alcy Ball residents

Whether you live in these neighborhoods or just care about what happens to Memphis drinking water - come through. Hear what your neighbors have been building. Add your voice. Break bread together. 🤝

This plan is the model for what groundwater protection can look like across all of Shelby County. It starts here. It starts with the people closest to the issue leading the way. ✊

RSVP recommended → https://events.humanitix.com/aquifer-protection-community-meeting-hosted-by-alcy-ball

POA has been named the 2026 Honorary Ally and EJ Pioneer by Young, Gifted & Green 🥳💧✊We were honored at the 5th Annual 4...
09/30/2026

POA has been named the 2026 Honorary Ally and EJ Pioneer by Young, Gifted & Green 🥳💧✊

We were honored at the 5th Annual 40 Under 40 Awards during the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. - a national stage recognizing Black, Latinx, and Indigenous environmental justice leaders who are doing the work.

And Memphis, all of us were in the room. 💙

This award belongs to EVERY person who showed up to a City Council meeting. Every signature on a petition. Every public comment. Every Water Warrior who knocked on doors and sent those emails. Every person who is a part of our movement online.

YOU make POA's work impossible to ignore and now the nation is paying attention. 🗣️

So what's next for us to share nationwide?

We've got a moratorium to make permanent. A groundwater protection plan to build. Water rates to fix. A county transition team to shape.

The work that earned this recognition is the same work that's waiting for us Monday morning. Let's keep going. 💪🚰

09/23/2026

Our Executive Director Sarah Houston has been appointed to incoming Shelby County Mayor Mickell Lowery's transition team. 🙌💧

This unlocks POA CHAIRING the Sustainability and Environment working group which means we're helping shape the county's environmental priorities for the next four years.

So what are we recommending?
Here's what we're thinking 👇

🌱 Food: urban agriculture programs
💧 Water: a groundwater management plan
🏠 Shelter: making Shelby County climate-ready for extreme weather events

But here's the thing, these can't just be OUR recommendations. They have to be YOURS.

This is what people power looks like when it reaches county government. We fought to be in this room. Now we need your voice in it. 🗣️

Drop your ideas in the comments.

DM us.

Share this with someone who cares about the future of Memphis and Shelby County.

What do YOU want the county to prioritize for our environment over the next 4 years?

Tell us. We'll bring it to the table. ✊

09/21/2026

2 out of 3 readings passed, Memphis! One more to go 🚰💥

Memphis's data center moratorium is THIS close to becoming real - a full 12-month pause on all new data center permits while our city figures out how to actually protect our aquifer, our air, and our neighborhoods.

But here's what people aren't talking about enough 👇

We're seeing additional ordinances pop up alongside the moratorium. Some of that is progress... But this legislation HAS to be thoughtful, science-based, and community-led. 👏 Not rushed. 👏 Not watered down. 👏

And the city can't do this alone. Think about it... if MLGW can't give a data center enough power, they can run their own gas turbines. That's an air quality problem, and that's on the COUNTY.

If MLGW can't give them enough water? They can drill their own wells straight into our aquifer. 😰 That's on the county and health department.

Without the city AND county working together on this, the protections have holes big enough to drive a data center through.

The third reading was pushed to Tuesday, October 6th to strengthen the ordinance. Which is good - we want it done RIGHT. Now show up and make sure it crosses the finish line. 🗣️

📅 October 6th | 4:00 PM | Memphis City Council

People power got us here. People power finishes it. ✊

09/15/2026

Memphis families pay $0.32 per 100 gallons of water. SpacexAI pays $0.19. 💧

That's a 41% discount for the company that pumped 25 million gallons of our drinking water in a single month — and MLGW plans to raise YOUR rates in 2027 without touching theirs.

On September 16th, we're walking into the MLGW Board meeting to hand over your petition signatures demanding an equitable water rate structure. What does fair look like? A special water rate for data center users, and lower rates for lower-income households.

You don't have to speak. Just being in the room counts. Every seat filled tells the Board that Memphis is watching. But if you want to make a public comment — even better. 🗣️

📅 Tuesday, September 16th | 8:30 AM
📍 MLGW Board Room, 220 S. Main St.

Haven't signed yet? Tap our link in bio ✍️

Look at this crew! Here's (most of) the aquifer protectors that came out to the Shelby County Groundwater Board this mor...
09/10/2026

Look at this crew! Here's (most of) the aquifer protectors that came out to the Shelby County Groundwater Board this morning. There were 6 public commenters speaking on the need for data center regulations, land use changes, better transparency of this Board, creating a groundwater protection plan, contamination threats.

1 well for irrigation was approved and another small well to water a garden was postponed - it is very close to a gas station. A report from the Groundwater Protection Committee (POA is on it!) was provided - the Health Department is scoping out a project to scan all well records and build a GIS map. POA will also provide the Health Department with a training on using the Contamination Dashboard. The Board requesting having a groundwater protection update on the agenda at every meeting.

Bureaucracy is slow, but PEOPLE POWER is speeding this up!!! Next Meeting is in December - hope to see you there.

PS - Be sure you've signed the MLGW Fair Water Rates petition -- we're delivering it next week! https://ujoin.co/campaigns/4007/actions/public?action_id=5838

09/09/2026

"Millington isn't growing despite our (environmental) regulations, but in large part because of it." — Frankie Dakin, Millington City Manager & Shelby County Groundwater Board Member.

The most common argument we see against strict environmental (including aquifer) protections is that it will turn businesses away. Millington is proving that claim FALSE.

In 2017, Millington passed a strong Wellhead Protection Plan. From 2020 to 2025, Millington has been the fastest-growing city in West Tennessee (up 5.9% just from 2022 to 2023, according to ).

Businesses weren't scared away. They adapted. This can be true here in Memphis, and Frankie is helping lead the way as a member of the Shelby County Groundwater Board.

TOMORROW (9/10) at 10 AM, we need you to join Frankie and POA at the next Groundwater Board Meeting to voice your support for The Blue Print (our community-led protection plan) and to demand transparent financials from the Groundwater Board!

📍 Location: 1 Waterfowl Way, Memphis, Tennessee 38120

09/04/2026

Got Memphis water questions? We've got answers. 🚰

In the past few weeks, we've gotten a lot of great questions in our comments and DMs about various aspects of our mission. We caught up with Scott, our Science Director, to tackle three that we've been asked about a few times lately!

🗣️ "How do we know how much water SpaceXAI is pumping when they won't talk to the public?"
👉 We've requested the latest water bills for Colossus 1 and 2. It has been over a month. Our current numbers are based on a March records request. When it comes to Southaven, the Safe and Sound Coalition has been doing records requests and sharing info with POA on behalf of MS residents.

🗣️ "How vast is the Memphis Sands Aquifer?"
👉 The aquifer is vast and won't run out soon. But legacy pollution is also vast. More pumping means contamination sinks deeper, threatening the supply. This is why we are pushing for a data center moratorium and for protections for our recharge zones!

🗣️ "What is dangerous about a 'Cone of Depression' caused by overpumping?"
👉 Since the water in the Memphis Aquifer is lower than the shallow aquifer surrounding it, water will naturally flow down into it (recharging it). However, this also means it may pull down contaminants if there is legacy pollution near the pumping location and/or the recharge area.

For more info on these topics, visit our website's NOW page! 💧 (https://www.protectouraquifer.org/now)

What burning questions do you have about/tied to the Memphis Aquifer? Drop them down below!!

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