West Tennessee Megasite Authority adopts stronger zoning protections for Memphis Aquifer
Tennessee Lookout
An empty field lies next to the Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center at Ford’s BlueOval City campus in Stanton, Tenn. on June 5, 2025. (Photo: Cassandra Stephenson)
The board controlling the West Tennessee Megasite — home to Ford’s BlueOval City electric vehicle and battery manufacturing campus — unanimously approved zoning rules Wednesday that require greater protections for the Memphis Sand Aquifer, the region’s drinking water source.
The 4,100-acre megasite sits atop the aquifer, which is protected from surface-level contaminants by a layer of natural clay. But breaches in the clay can allow contaminants to reach the water that serves much of the Mid-South.
The federal government requires states to identify areas where contaminants can reach drinking water sources and develop plans to protect public water supply around well locations, but the zoning ordinance adopted Wednesday goes beyond those protections, extending some regulations throughout the entire megasite.
The zoning regulations are embraced by Protect Our Aquifer, a Memphis-based nonprofit dedicated to protecting water quality in the Memphis Sand Aquifer that has been pushing for their passage for years.
“There are residents that do surround BlueOval City that rely on these private wells for drinking water, and they deserve this reassurance that their health is really being thought about in the process of building out this big facility,” Protect Our Aquifer Executive Director Sarah Houston said. “This ordinance helps protect them, protect and reduce future financial liability for the state of Tennessee, the megasite and even Ford and other tenants.”
The ordinance now requires any special-use permit application within the state-owned megasite’s boundaries to provide evidence that the proposed land use will not negatively impact the aquifer’s water quality. Any plans for site approval must also provide information about any hazardous materials that could be used on the site and demonstrate that these uses will not impact the aquifer.
Additionally, typical regulations would impose stricter protections to prevent contaminants from entering wells within a 250-foot radius of a well site for an industrial water system, and lesser standards within a 750-foot radius. The new ordinance applies the most stringent protections within the entire 750-foot radius.
The University of Memphis’ Center for Applied Earth Science and Engineering Research (CAESAR), Ford and other stakeholders determined stricter regulations made sense, Chris Bowles, outside counsel for the board, said during Wednesday’s meeting.
“Once fully operational, there will be a tremendous amount of water being drawn from these wells,” Bowles said. “You can imagine contaminants flowing very quickly from the edges of that wellhead protection area, out the well and into the system serving this industrial park, so there was a desire based on that volume to provide that greater level of protection.”
Some questions remain. Houston wants to know how megasite-wide requirements for hazardous material disclosures and mitigation plans will be monitored and enforced. She also asked if a specialized engineer will review mitigation plans presented with permit applications.
Chris Richards, a member of the Megasite Authority board, suggested adding an annual review of this zoning ordinance to the board’s regular calendar so the board “can feel comfortable that the intent of the document, which is extraordinarily comprehensive, is being met.”
Houston said the regulations are not about “punishing” businesses or “trying to stall development,” but rather about risk management and avoidance of long-term costs on a site where there will inevitably be spills and leaks. She alluded to multi-million-dollar cleanups that resulted from past “poor practices” in Shelby County.
“We support this great step, and we think it sets a really positive precedent for sustainable development, and it sends a really clear message that protecting the Memphis Sand Aquifer is not optional,” Houston said. “It’s a shared responsibility, and we can all have a role in what this looks like. These are real, practical, basic solutions.”