The residents of Kingston, Tenn., know the scenario well by now. It’s been 14 months since an impoundment pond at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) coal-burning plant breached, sending a wave of toxic material over 300 acres and into the Emory River. The sludge, piled as high as nine feet in some areas, knocked houses from their foundations, damaged once-pristine property, and contaminated the Emory River, an area once known for its water recreation. Coal ash contains dangerous toxins that have been found to cause serious health problems such as liver damage, neurological problems and cancer. Many in the area have complained of heightened anxiety and breathing problems. Some, including a small child, have tested positive for heavy metal in their blood.

The land may never be completely restored. The residue left behind can still affect wildlife and plants. The TVA is working around-the-clock on what is expected to be a three-year, $1 billion cleanup effort. That cost does not include what the nation’s largest utility is likely to pay in lawsuits against it because of the spill.

The sad fact is that the coal ash spill could have been prevented if the TVA had simply heeded the warnings from engineers who raised concerns of the impoundment pond’s structural integrity just months before the spill.

It’s an all too familiar scenario. Just last year BP suggested that an accident leading to a massive crude oil spill was all but impossible. Yet, it happened. The blowout from a riser pipe a mile below the water’s surface is pouring at least 200,000 gallons of oil into the ocean every day. The spill is so large it is expected to be much bigger than the Exxon Valdez disaster, in which 11 million gallons poured into the Prince William Sound off the coast of Alaska. The ecological and economic effects could be devastating to an area still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

Only time will tell how much damage it will cause or how long it will take for the land, the wildlife, and the businesses that rely on it to be restored. Perhaps it’s time these companies learn a lesson and focus on preventing such disasters rather than waiting until they happen to address them.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Gulf coast oil spill reminiscent of coal ash disaster

Since the cleanup began, the effort has been focused on the Emory River, dredging the bottom of the waterway to keep as much ash as possible from floating downstream. Approximately 70 percent of the river has been dredged and the agency hopes to have the river cleanup completed by May.

The spill raised concerns by those living nearby. Coal ash contains arsenic and carcinogenic heavy metals that can be harmful to humans as well as wildlife. Locals have questioned the quality of their water supply. McCracken says testing of the water downstream has turned up clear and intakes for drinking water appear not to have been affected by the contamination. Monitoring of water downstream is expected to continue indefinitely.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that there will be a long-term monitoring program to determine that indeed there is no impact to people off-site,” McCracken told WPLN News.

But the spill also dampened the area’s appeal, covering pastures with gray sludge and all but destroying water recreation activities such as swimming, boating and fishing. McCracken assures that the cleanup effort has been so successful that swimming can resume in the waterways downstream from the spill; however, people may want to steer clear of the dredges.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA says Emory River coal ash cleanup nearly completed

Records reviewed by the Knoxville News Sentinel indicate that 10 firms will rake in more than $10 million each from the first phase of the cleanup effort, including Phillips & Jordan, a Knoxville-based disaster recovery specialist, which is expected to earn as much as $95 million from the TVA.

The TVA is engaged in a three-year, billion-dollar cleanup effort to restore the land, property that was once known for its pastoral landscapes and recreational waterways but is now covered with dark ash and heavy equipment.

It’s a hard pill to swallow for local residents, many of whom watched their homes destroyed or their property damaged when the wave of coal ash – piled as high as nine feet in some areas – poured out from a breached impoundment pond at the neighboring TVA coal-firing plant. Coal ash contains dangerous toxins that have been linked to serious health problems. Many environmentalists argue that if coal-firing plants had been properly inspected by the federal government, perhaps weaknesses in the pond’s infrastructure would have been brought to light sooner and the devastating spill could have been avoided. But hindsight is 20/20.

Besides the billion-plus dollars spent to clean up the devastated land, the TVA has shelled out millions more to buy up homes that were damaged or destroyed and to pay for county improvements and a public relations campaign as a sort of peace offering. More expenses are expected. The nation’s largest utility is also facing class action lawsuits filed by firms such as Beasley Allen on behalf of residents affected by the spill.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Contractors to make millions off coal ash spill cleanup

The spill, which piled as high as nine feet in some areas, knocked houses off their foundations, blanketed yards, and poured into the Emory River. Coal ash is laden with toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been linked to serious health problems such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. It’s also “notoriously difficult to clean up,” Schaeffer says. The TVA is making efforts, though, spending as much as three years and upwards of a billion dollars to clean up the land and waterways.

Despite its dangerous and toxic contents, coal ash is not classified as a hazardous material and does not fall under government regulations. That is expected to change soon, as over the past year the Environmental Protection Agency has been charged with inspecting all coal-firing plants in the country and developing safety and storage guidelines. Those guidelines were promised before the end of the year, but late last month the agency said it would need more time to issue guidelines, saying it hopes to have a proposal ready in the first few weeks of 2010.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Coal ash spill worse than originally thought

The nation’s largest utility is also holding out hope that insurance will cover the cost of the spill, lessening the impact on its rate payers. Before insurances will commit, the TVA must first lay out detailed plans on how it plans to cleanup and restore the land it damaged, and rationalize the cost.

“We have to come up with those plans; we have to then submit to the insurance companies what those plans are and what the costs are, and then they will come back and set a time when they can sit down and discuss that insurance with us,” TVA spokesperson Barbara Martocci told Nashville Public Radio.

The cleanup effort could take as much as three years to complete. It involves dredging the Emory River as well as removing the coal ash on land that built up as high as nine feet in some areas. As part of the cleanup, the TVA also purchased more than a dozen homes that had been damaged in the spill. The utility is also facing numerous lawsuits from people and businesses who lost property.

TVA officials say they hope to start discussions with insurance companies in the next few months.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA customers footing bill for coal ash spill

Environmental lawsuits

“There is a lot of scientific uncertainty in this case, as there are in many environmental cases,” Button said in an interview with KnoxNews.com.

Last year, more than a billion gallons of coal ash spilled from an impoundment pond at the Kingston, Tenn., fossil fuel plant and covered about 300 acres of a nearby community. The spill knocked homes off their foundations, damaged property and contaminated nearby waterways. The TVA has been involved in what it anticipates to be a three-year, billion dollar cleanup effort to restore the land, but environmentalists say the damage is not as easy to repair.

To date, 14 lawsuits – some of them class actions – have been filed against the TVA by residents and businesses who lost property or have been injured by the spill. Coal ash, a product of coal-firing plants, contains dangerous toxins that have been linked to serious health conditions such as cancer, liver damage and neurological problems. Some residents in the area have experienced heightened anxiety and breathing problems. Some, including a young child, have tested positive for heavy metals in their blood.

Whether the TVA will actually pay its due for the damages it caused is still in question. “TVA, like all federal agencies, and consistent with the Department of Justice’s position on the issue, is not subject to civil penalties in suits brought by citizen groups under some federal environmental statutes,” says TVA spokeswoman Barbara Martocci. “It would take legislation to change this.”

Button says all hope isn’t lost, that claiming sovereign immunity isn’t a guarantee of protection for the TVA, adding that the U.S. Army Corps of engineers was sued following Hurricane Katrina.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA claims protection as coal ash lawsuits mount

“The community that was the first affected by the ash spill on Dec. 22, 2008 (is) the same community that to this date has been overlooked and forgotten not only by the TVA but also by the state of Tennessee and Roane County,” said Randy Ellis, member of the Roane County Long-Term Recovery Committee at a meeting among residents affected by the spill.

The 300-plus acres that were blanketed by the coal ash – as much as nine feet in some areas – is a far cry from the picturesque countryside it was a year ago. Heavy equipment push mounds of earth-toned dirt over once-green pastures. Trucks line up to take recovered ash to landfills in other states and counties. Houses since bought by the nation’s largest utility sit uninhabited. The TVA says it is working tirelessly to restore the land, but residents remain skeptical that restoration is even possible.

“When the press flies over this, it looks like they (TVA) are doing lots of things. They’re moving ash here; they’ve got dikes built; they’ve got barges in the water. It looks like a lot of activity,” says resident Don Simon. “But show me where there’s been actual progress made.”

Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA coal ash spill – one year later

But if Crossville Coal Company and Smith Mountain Solutions have their way and are allowed to reclaim a surface mine on top of Smith Mountain to store coal ash recovered from the east Tennessee site of a massive coal ash spill, the narrow roadway where the Nicholsons walk will become even more treacherous with heavy trucks carrying tons of coal ash.

Smith Mountain Solutions says it will make safety improvements to the road and enforce low speed limits with GPS tracking, which would ultimately be a benefit to residents in the area. But few locals find the promise reassuring. Their concerns go beyond traffic issues. They are worried about their property and their health.

Coal ash is not categorized a hazardous material and thus does not fall under federal regulations. Last year, when a coal ash impoundment pond at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston, Tenn., site breached and sent a wave of toxic material onto a rural community, the government and environmental groups took a closer look at coal ash and realized just how dangerous the material can be.

Tests have determined that coal ash has become more and more toxic over the years, as technological advances have improved the quality of smoke that is released into the air. The coal ash left behind has been shown to contain toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been linked to serious health concerns such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications, to name a few. As a result, the Environmental Protection Agency has been inspecting coal ash impoundments nationwide and is expected to provide guidelines by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the TVA is undergoing a years-long, $1.2 billion cleanup effort at the site of the massive coal ash spill in east Tennessee. That cleanup includes removing the spilled coal ash and shipping it to other landfills for storage. One landfill that is currently receiving the reclaimed coal ash is in Alabama.

TVA is eyeing the Smith Mountain landfill as another storage site but residents are fighting the plan. Not only will the traffic along Smith Mountain Road be heavier, thanks to trucks hauling tons of recovered coal ash, but there is the threat of the coal ash leaching into the soil and contaminating the land and drinking water. And then there’s the risk of another breach like that in Kingston, which toppled houses, damaged property and displaced numerous residents.

Proponents of the Smith Mountain landfill plan say it would be a win-win for the community. Not only would it ensure improvements of Smith Mountain Road, it will create jobs and generate millions of dollars in fees for the community. The companies have also promised to ensure the safety of the landfill with synthetic liners to cut down on leaching.

But arguments for the landfill have fallen on deaf ears. “This has been sold to us as a win-win proposition, which it clearly is not unless you are one of a couple of groups,” says Smith Mountain resident Earl Tyler.

Source: Crossville Chronicle

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Smith Mountain residents fight coal ash landfill

The river was originally closed for 30 days in early August, followed by another 30-day extension. Now the TVA says it needs more time to remove the coal ash that spilled into the Emory River. TVA officials and the Environmental Protection Agency will review the situation in early February and decide when the river can be reopened at that time.

Six days a week, as many as 110 railcars filled with coal ash recovered from the river are being transported to a landfill in Alabama for storage. Despite the constant effort, only about one-third of the coal ash has been removed from the Emory. Once the river has been cleared, crews will turn their focus to the coal ash piled on the land.

During the closure, no river traffic will be allowed in order to make room for huge hydraulic dredging equipment. Those who have a significant need for transportation around the closed portion of the Emory River may request access by contacting the TVA by phone at least five days in advance.

Sources:
Knox News
OakRidger.com

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Emory River to remain closed until February as cleanup continues

About 500 people have been working almost nonstop to fill Norfolk Southern train cars with recovered toxic sludge and transport them to a landfill in Alabama. Judging by the vast stretches of gray on the ground, the end is far from sight. But TVA officials vow they will restore the land to its previous condition. Still, residents are skeptical.

Coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been linked to serious health concerns such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications, to name a few. Many residents in the area have complained of respiratory issues and heightened anxiety. Some, including a young child, have tested positive for heavy metal in their blood.

While removing the ash may make the land appear good as new, environmentalists fear that the damage is a deeper problem, that toxins have seeped into the ground and waterways, affecting wildlife and plant life, which ultimately will create more problems for those who go back to live on the land.

Source: KnoxNews

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Coal ash cleanup still months, years away from completion

The coal ash originates from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) plant in Kingston, Tenn. Last December, more than a billion gallons of sludge from a breached impoundment pond poured down on to a neighboring community. The toxic wave knocked houses from their foundations, destroyed property, and contaminated nearby waterways when it spilled into the Emory River and traveled downstream.

In the months since, property values plummeted and residents have reported respiratory problems and heightened anxiety. Some people, including a toddler, have tested positive for heavy metals in their bloodstream. Coal ash is toxic, containing arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been linked to serious health concerns including cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

For months, the TVA has been undergoing a huge cleanup effort that is estimated to cost as much as $1 billion before it is complete. The cleanup effort includes shipping recovered coal ash from the spill site and storing it in distant landfills, including Arrowhead Landfill in Perry County.

Source: WSFA-TV

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Perry County residents still upset about recovered coal ash storage