Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Photographer Shawn Poynter and other photographers compiled for the Daily Yonder a photo slideshow of images captured following December’s massive coal ash spill that destroyed homes and damaged more than 300 acres in east Tennessee. The images show just how devastating our nation’s largest coal-ash spill was.

The spill occurred when a coal ash impoundment pond at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Kingston, Tennessee plant failed and dumped more than a billion gallons of toxic material on to a rural, east Tennessee neighborhood. Not only did the spill cause immediate damage, its long-term effects may cause even more problems. Coal ash contains toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which may contribute to serious health problems such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

In the Daily Yonder photo essay, Poynter talks about his two experiences photographing the site, during which he had to go through TVA’s public relations department and be escorted in by TVA staff. Most other entrances to the spill site are restricted by police, allowing access to only those who live in the area or their friends and family.

Poynter says visibility in the area is limited – one can only see about a quarter of a mile in the distance. There is no media access to the homes damaged immediately by the spill. Thus, he says, “It looks fairly benign, of out of the larger context of who has been harmed and what has been destroyed.”

Still, the slideshow is worth watching.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 24th, 2009 at 8:00 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.