06/01/2026
Before joining the Alcy Ball team, Diane worked as a secretary for the Memphis Defense Depot, a military logistics facility in Alcy Ball’s backyard, and now the primary focus of our ongoing groundwater monitoring work with . 🚰
During her time at MDD, she recalls the infamous plane crash of 1985. Radio alerts, lockdown signals, and smoke are what Diane remembers of the accident before finding out what had taken place.
“There were a lot of pieces, and a lot of debris, and smoke. It was really something to see…That’s one of the things to remember.”
Little was shared about the accident beyond the event itself. Now, we know that the crash exacerbated the groundwater contamination already happening beneath the surface.
A quick backstory on the Depot:
🔹 Memphis Defense Depot is a Superfund Site in South Memphis where toxic World War II chemicals were buried, left to seep through the earth toward a then-unknown breach in our Aquifer’s protective clay layer.
🔹 Remediation has been ongoing since the Depot was declared a Superfund Site in 1992. Today, it only consists of groundwater monitoring, though plumes of contamination have been identified at the site and in the surrounding residential area.
🔹 ABDC and POA are concerned about these toxic plumes and contamination that have shut down nearby MLGW wells, and are advocating for those responsible for the Defense Depot remediation to address this threat to our drinking water.
🔹 Millions of dollars of revenue from the redevelopment of the site should have gone to the surrounding communities impacted by the Defense Depot, but have been used for other developments by the EDGE Board of Memphis. This needs to change.
By working with POA and Alcy Ball neighbors, such as our amazing Ms. Diane, we're learning more about the work that went on at the site and how to best protect and advocate for the protection of our drinking water moving forward.
Learn more about this site by visiting POA's website.
