More than a billion gallons of coal ash spilled from an impoundment pond at the plant and poured on to a neighboring community, destroying homes and damaging property. Coal ash contains dangerous toxins that have been associated with serious health concerns such as cancer, liver disease and neurological disorders. Some residents already have tested positive for heavy metals in their bloodstream.

ORAU is developing protocols for testing and questionnaires about exposure and will notify the community about the program and which residents quality for screening. Local physicians and toxicologists from Vanderbilt Medical Center will meet with individuals at local clinics. Any trends discovered in the screening process will be submitted to the TVA.

Critics of the health plan argue that the TVA is still too much involved in the process, and that more should have been done sooner to ensure safety of residents affected by the spill. “TVA reserves all decision-making to itself about whether it will pay for any individual’s medical expenses,” says Sarah McCoin, who lives near the plant. “TVA can use the information obtained from the program it controls to downplay the legitimate health concerns of the community.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › ORAU to address health concerns of those affected by coal ash spill

“Our farm is the largest acreage affected,” said Sandy’s husband Terry in an interview to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. “TVA does not want to admit that the spill has devastated our lives, tainted our land and reduced our livelihood to a fraction of what it was before the spill.”

The Guptons herd Gelvy cattle on their land, and worried for their cattle’s safety after the TVA’s coal ash pond failed last December and dumped more than a billion gallons of coal ash on to 300 acres of an east Tennessee community. Now, they are worrying about their own health. “We have both tested positive for heavy metals in our bodies,” Terry said. “We both have increased respiratory problems with asthma… We feel that we need to relocated to get away from the spill site.”

Coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic and lead, which have been associated with increased risk of cancer, liver damage and other serious health problems. When it rains, coal ash sludge backs up on to the Gupton’s pastures. As it dries, the ash flies into the air.

“I wouldn’t want to inhale either of these things for a long period of time — or even a short period of time if I had lung problems,” said Gregory V. Button, a University of Tennessee at Knoxville professor and medical anthropologist, in the news report. “There’s a lot of possibility here for exposing large populations with what may be very high concentrations of ash contaminated with a combination of toxic materials.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Family worries about cattle, health, livelihood after coal ash spill

However, the method for the regulation of coal ash has come under scrutiny after a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) impoundment pond failed last December and dumped more than a billion gallons of coal ash sludge over 300 acres of an east Tennessee community, destroying homes and damaging property in its wake. Both residents and environmentalists began asking questions about the toxic material that had poured into the neighboring Emory River and heaped as much as nine feet high in some areas.

Since 2000, improved pollution controls have kept toxins from leaving smokestacks and thus have increased the amount of toxins in coal ash, says Rhon Jones, Toxic Torts Section Head with Beasley Allen law firm. The material may contain arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium which can contribute to dangerous health conditions such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications, to name a few.

Many residents in the area already have complained of respiratory problems and half reported experiencing increased stress and anxiety. “In addition, EPA has improved testing which reveals toxins are leaching into groundwater more than originally thought,” Jones adds.

To date, EPA has found groundwater contaminated with heavy metals from coal ash dumps at 63 sites. An independent report asserts that nearly 100 coal ash dumps across the United States pose similar or even greater potential dangers than the TVA Kingston plant, Jones says.

“On March 9, 2009, EPA sent a survey to the 163 utilities that manage approximately 300 coal ash ponds in the U.S. The survey calls for plant operators to provide information about coal ash pond design, engineering, and inspections and to list any spills or unauthorized releases within the last decade. While a step in the right direction, EPA’s survey does not ask for information on whether the coal ash ponds are lined, whether the ponds have water collection systems to catch toxins leached from the ash, or whether groundwater monitors are in place near the ponds,” Jones says.

After survey results are reviewed, EPA plans to follow up with on-site visits and order improvements where the ponds are found to be unsafe.

In response to the December 22, 2008 coal ash spill in Kingston, Tennessee, the EPA committed to propose new regulations governing coal combustion waste by the end of 2009. The EPA also committed to act immediately to prevent accidents such as the TVA spill in Kingston.

“The Kingston, Tennessee, spill and others like it show the need for strict standards on how this waste is disposed. In addition to EPA’s renewed interest in regulating coal ash disposal, the U.S. Congress is looking into the spill,” Jones says. “Hopefully, these actions by EPA and Congress will either increase safety near these facilities, require alternative methods of disposal, or both.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Coal combustion sites need government regulations

The spill originated from a small hole in one of NewPage Corp.’s pipelines that cross the Potomac. The leak began about 8 p.m. Sunday night and continued to leak until 6 a.m. Monday morning.

The spill is just a fraction of the size of the one caused when the Tennessee Valley Authority impoundment pond failed and oozed toxic coal ash into a rural Tennessee neighborhood and into the nearby Emory River. But Maryland state regulators are still concerned of the potential environmental problems the leak may cause.

Coal ash could contain high concentrations of selenium, sulfate, arsenic, iron and manganese, which can contribute to serious health problems such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. The Tennessee spill has already caused many locals to complain of respiratory problems, and a young child in the area recently tested positive for heavy metals.

The storage and disposal of coal ash is not currently regulated, but Environmental Protection Agency officials have vowed since the TVA spill to draft rules for coal ash storage and disposal.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › 4,000 gallons of coal ash pour into Potomac River

We told you earlier about Penny Dodson and her 18-month-old grandson Evan. For 10 days after the spill, they stayed in their home instead of fleeing. She was told by TVA authorities that they would be safe. But when Evan started having trouble breathing, doctors tested him for heavy metals. The tests revealed that Evan had elevated levels of arsenic in his body, which doctors determined was from fly ash in the community. Penny is now guilt-stricken.

While no one was injured when the coal ash pond failed and dumped more than a billion gallons of toxic material on to 300 acres of a rural east Tennessee neighborhood, authorities want to be sure damages, such as those experienced by little Evan and by the property owners whose homes and property were affected, are kept to a minimum.

TVA has executed a massive clean up, building temporary dams in Emory River in hopes of keep the ash from flowing any father downstream, and laid grass seed to keep the coal ash from flying. Sludge is being scooped out of waterways and land. How long the cleanup will take is still unclear, but the price of getting the land livable again could cost TVA as much as $825 million.

The hearings continue this week with more testimony from victims as well as testimony from representatives of the TVA and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA coal ash victims testify about property, personal damages

“When I got the results I was horrified,” Penny said to News Channel 5. “It showed that Evan has increased levels of arsenic and lead and other heavy metal in his system. … They said that his problem was due to the airborne fly ash in the community. He was directly impacted, and we were told that we would have to leave the area.”

The toxic mud and sludge that poured on to the east Tennessee community destroying homes and damaging property in its wake, contained potential toxins such as arsenic, lead, barium, chromium and manganese. Problems associated with those materials include cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

Last week, TVA acknowledged that the spill was worse than initially reported, calling it a “catastrophe.” Lawmakers are looking into the cleanup efforts, which some are calling too slow. Those efforts include building temporary dams to stop the flow into neighboring bodies of water and dusting the area with grass seeds to keep the coal ash from becoming airborne. The cleanup could cost the utility as much as $825 million and the toll on wildlife and plant life – and ultimately, human life – is yet to be known. But some, like Penny, say the worst damage already has been done.

“I carry guilt because we stayed, because I was told that we were going to be safe, and I believed them, and it’s not true – we are not safe,” she said.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Toddler near coal ash spill site tests positive for heavy metal

MONTGOMERY, ALA. – Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C., is currently evaluating claims on behalf of property owners affected by a devastating coal ash spill in Tennessee. The disaster spilled thousands of pounds of coal ash and toxic waste across more than 300 acres. The event occurred when an earthen retaining wall at the Kingston Fossil Plant failed, creating one of the largest coal fly ash spills in the United States. The plant is located 40 miles west of Knoxville, Tenn.

Coal-fired power plants produce coal ash and other toxic waste byproducts. The waste contains such heavy metals as arsenic, lead, barium, chromium and manganese, which have been shown to cause cancer, liver damage, and neurological complications. The material is usually stored on site at the energy-production facilities in retention ponds or dams. A failure in the dam’s retaining wall, or an overflow, can result in an environmental disaster contaminating surrounding waterways, soil, and wildlife, and endangering human health and life.

There are coal ash retention ponds at nine locations in Alabama, including six coal-fired steam plants operated by Alabama Power Company. The Tennessee Valley Authority (T.V.A.), which operates the Tennessee plant that failed, also has two coal-fired plants in north Alabama that have ash retention ponds; and PowerSouth Energy Cooperative has a coal ash pond at Lowman Power Plant in southwest Alabama.

“Given that the Tennessee Valley Authority has similar ponds at its two coal-fired plants in Alabama, we hope that they are making certain that those ponds are sound so that we will not have another tragedy like the one at TVA’s Kingston Steam Plant,” said Rhon Jones, an attorney with Beasley Allen who specializes in Environmental law. “Residents and property owners near all nine coal ash retention ponds in Alabama are counting on these ponds to be safe and secure. No property owner should have to go through the disaster facing those persons in Tennessee near the Kingston Steam Plant.”

According to Alabama’s Department of Environmental Management, all nine coal-fired power plants in Alabama were inspected following the Tennessee disaster, and all passed inspection with no problems. However, there is some debate about how coal ash is stored and regulated. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency does not regulate these types of retention ponds or the materials contained in them. Surprisingly, the EPA does not consider the coal ash hazardous material. There is a great deal of debate over whether state regulations are sufficient to regulate these retention ponds, as evidenced by this most recent disaster. For the greatest protection to the public, we recommend coal ash should be buried in lined landfills rather than retention ponds or dams, to prevent it from leaking out and contaminating waterways, groundwater and soil.

SOURCE: Beasley Allen Press Release

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Beasley Allen evaluating claims resulting from Tennessee coal-ash spill disaster, eyeing safety of Alabama plants

A coal ash spill in eastern Tennessee that experts were already calling the largest environmental disaster of its kind in the United States is more than three times as large as initially estimated, according to an updated survey by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Officials at the authority initially said that about 1.7 million cubic yards of wet coal ash had spilled when the earthen retaining wall of an ash pond at the Kingston Fossil Plant, about 40 miles west of Knoxville, gave way on Monday. But on Thursday they released the results of an aerial survey that showed the actual amount was 5.4 million cubic yards, or enough to flood more than 3,000 acres one foot deep.

The amount now said to have been spilled is larger than the amount the authority initially said was in the pond, 2.6 million cubic yards.

A test of river water near the spill showed elevated levels of lead and thallium, which can cause birth defects and nervous and reproductive system disorders, said John Moulton, a spokesman for the T.V.A., which owns the electrical generating plant, one of the authority’s largest.

Mr. Moulton said Friday that the levels exceeded safety limits for drinking water, but that both metals were filtered out by water treatment processes.

Mercury and arsenic, he said, were “barely detectable” in the samples.

The ash pond was adjacent to the Emory River and near a residential area, where three houses were destroyed by the tide of muddy ash. Water sampled several miles downstream from the spill was safe to drink, but its iron and manganese content exceeded the secondary drinking water standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency, which govern taste and odor but not potential health effects, Mr. Moulton said.

Neither the authority nor the E.P.A. has released the results of tests of soil or the ash itself. Authority officials have said that the ash is not harmful, and the authority has not warned residents of potential dangers, though federal studies show that coal ash can contain dangerous levels of heavy metals and carcinogens.

“You’re not going to be endangered by touching the ash material,” said Barbara Martocci, a spokeswoman for the T.V.A. “You’d have to eat it. You have to get it in your body.”

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation also released a statement saying there was no indication of risk unless the ash was ingested.

But residents like Deanna Copeland were thinking further into the future.

“Our concern is, what happens if this liquid dries out?” Ms. Copeland said. “There are huge health concerns. It’s going to get in our house. We’re going to breathe it in. It would be like walking through a dust bowl, and we don’t know what’s in the dust.”

A round-the-clock cleanup effort continued on Friday, much of it clearing roads and railway tracks that were blocked by the sludge. Several booms, or skimmers, were installed on nearby rivers to catch floating cenospheres, a valuable component of the ash used to make bowling balls and other manufactured goods. A weir, or underwater dam, that would keep settled ash from moving downstream was about one-fifth completed, T.V.A. officials said.

Some nearby residents said that the authority had done little to address their concerns.

“We’re terribly frustrated,” said Donald Smith, 58, a laboratory facilities manager who lives in the affected area. “It seems like T.V.A. is just throwing darts at the problem, and they don’t have a clue how to really fix it.

“It was nice that they came by to talk to us. They’re making an effort. But what upsets me is they didn’t have a plan in place. Why hadn’t anybody thought, ‘What happens if this thing bursts?’ ”

Residents said they were stunned by the new figure for the size of the spill.

“That’s scary to know that they can be off by that much,” said Angela Spurgeon, whose dock and yard are swamped with ash. “I don’t think it was intentional, but it upsets me to know that a number was given of what the pond could hold, and the number now is more than double.”

Authority officials offered little explanation for the discrepancy, saying the initial number was an estimate based on their information at the time.

Ms. Spurgeon said the scope of the disaster was difficult to fathom, even from photos.

“This is not a thin coating of ash,” she said. “These are boulders. There’s one in our cove that’s probably the size of our home.”

The spill has reignited a debate over whether coal ash should be federally regulated as a hazardous material.

Environmentalists have long argued that coal ash, which can contaminate groundwater and poison aquatic environments, should be stored in lined landfills. The ash ponds at Kingston were separated from the river only by earthen dikes. Coal plants around the country, most near rivers that supply the water they need to operate, store coal ash in unlined embankments and ponds, and in some areas coal ash is recycled as fill material.

The T.V.A. is still investigating the cause of the breach, but officials have suggested that unusually heavy rain and freezing temperatures may have been factors.

SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Tennessee Ash Flood Larger Than Initial Estimate

December 30, 2008

Water samples near a billion-gallon spill of coal ash in eastern Tennessee have found levels of arsenic and other heavy metals higher than drinking-water standards, prompting a warning against using private wells in the area.

Samples taken at the site of the spill in Harriman, 35 miles southwest of Knoxville, “slightly exceed” the standards for some metals, according to a statement from the Tennessee Valley Authority, owner of the coal power plant where the Dec. 22 accident occurred. Results from well-water and air tests won’t be known until later this week, the utility said.

The spill at the utility’s Harriman Fossil Plant deluged more than 300 acres of rural Roane County, destroying three homes and damaging 42 other properties. In nearby Kingston, that raised fears of fouled water and air, while 13 families wait to see if their homes can be salvaged, said Carolyn Brewer, finance director for the city of 5,300.

“Some of them are staying with families; some are working with real estate agents, leasing homes, buying homes,” Brewer said in a telephone interview today. “There’s two or three that will just never be able to get back in their homes. They’re just destroyed.”

The sludge-like spill, a mixture of water and residue from burned coal, escaped from a 40-acre holding pond after a retaining wall burst last week. After repeatedly saying the spilled material isn’t toxic, the TVA cautioned residents in its latest statement against touching or stirring up the material.

Samples from the Tennessee River, near the intake for Kingston’s water plant, found no violations of drinking-water standards, and any harmful levels of arsenic likely would be removed by treatment, the TVA said in its statement, issued jointly with state and local authorities and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The plant serves about 10,000 people in and around Kingston, Brewer said.

Well Warning

“Water from other sources that are not normally treated, such as private drinking wells or springs, may be contaminated if impacted by the release of the fly ash,” the agencies said in their news release. “These areas should not be used until they have been evaluated.”

Arsenic, a byproduct of coal burning that also occurs naturally, can cause a variety of ills when ingested, including nausea, numbness and partial paralysis, according to the EPA’s Web site. The metal has been linked to bladder, lung and kidney cancer in some studies, the EPA said.

Authorities are testing air quality in the area and “currently evaluating the potential for health effects,” the agencies said in the TVA’s statement. Anyone who touches soil, sediments or water affected by the spill should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water and wash clothes separately from other items, according to the statement.

Generating Units Shut

The Kingston plant, completed in 1955, produces 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to supply 670,000 homes. The authority said today that seven of the plant’s nine generating units had been shut down, calling that a result of reduced demand due to warm temperatures and not the ash spill.

The TVA is a federal corporation that was created by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Congress in 1933. The public power company provides electricity to industry and about 9 million people in an area covering 80,000 square miles of the southeastern U.S., according to the TVA’s Web site.

Source: Bloomberg

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Coal Ash Spill Leads to Arsenic Warnings for Tennessee Wells