Their complaints seem to have fallen on deaf ears as train car loads of coal ash continue to be shipped into Alabama. But Wathen is speaking out. His letter to the EPA documents serious environmental health threats at the Arrowhead Landfill. Here is what Wathen contends:

• Dangerously high arsenic levels have been found in what’s described as “stinking gray/tannish waste” being pumped nightly from the landfill. Wathen tested the leachate from an on-site pump and found levels of arsenic that was 80 greater than the U.S. safe drinking water standard and far higher than what is considered safe for aquatic life.
• The arsenic-tainted waste runs in the landfill’s roadside ditches at levels that have exceeded safe drinking water limits. This water leads to private land where farm animals drink from surface water.
• An excessive amount of wet material is being dumped into the landfill, threatening the protective liner.
• Contaminated coal ash is falling from overloaded, uncovered trucks and spilling along the road. This contaminates the road in which the trucks travel. Untreated water there currently in flows into the Tayloe Creek. Some worry that when the weather dries out, the residue could become airborne.
• When the train cars hauling coal ash to the landfill are washed off, the runoff is allowed to flow into Tayloe Creek’s drainage basin, raising the same concerns.

Source: The Institute for Southern Studies, Facing South

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Activist documents coal ash dangers in letter to EPA

Coal ash recovered from the Kingston spill is being shipped by train car to Arrowhead Landfill in Perry County, Ala. That deal is generating a handful of jobs and millions in storage fees for the chronically poor and predominantly black community. Despite the benefits, residents say the coal ash is stinking up their town. And they are worried about the toxins seeping into the ground and contaminating their water. Coal ash contains arsenic and carcinogenic heavy metals. So far residents’ concerns have fallen on deaf ears.

But not in south Alabama, where the coal ash effects have been trickling down. Runoff water from the Arrowhead Landfill was originally shipped to a water treatment plant in Marion, Ala., and discharged into a creek. After a community outcry, the Environmental Protection Agency recommended that the runoff be taken elsewhere.

The new location? Liquid Environmental Solutions, a wastewater processing plant in Mobile, Ala. The plant “properly accepted, tested and treated the non-hazardous Perry County landfill wastewater” just before it was routed through the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System and discharged into Mobile Bay, according to a statement by Liquid Environmental Solutions senior vice president Dana King. Recently, the company decided to stop accepting shipments of wastewater from the landfill after community members express concerns. Where will the coal ash runoff be shipped now? TVA spokeswoman Barbara Martocci said it is “something that will have to be worked out” by the companies involved.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Trickle-down effect causing problems for coal ash disposal

But before the citizens of Perry County could file their lawsuit, the owners of Arrowhead Landfill filed for bankruptcy, a move that stops the residents’ planned lawsuit in its tracks. No new litigation can be brought against entities in bankruptcy proceedings.

Perry-Uniontown Ventures I LLC (PUV), also known as Perry County Associates, the company that owns the landfill, filed the documents last week in Mobile. PUV claims it owes $3.9 million to Phillips & Jordan Inc., (P&J) $779,837 to the Perry County Commission, and $11,000 to the Alabama Department of Revenue. PUV claims P&J and Phill-Con Services have withheld money paid by the TVA.

An attorney for the residents says that while the planned litigation cannot go forward until the bankruptcy matter is cleared up, other options are being examined.

Beasley Allen attorney Rhon Jones, who represents residents of east Tennessee who have lost property in the TVA coal ash spill, told the Selma Times Journal that he is uncertain whether the landfill’s bankruptcy would have any effect on his clients’ cases.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Lawsuit to halt coal ash dumping held up by landfill’s bankruptcy

“You might have seen my picture in the paper,” she smiles at the video camera. John L. Wathen, a.k.a. Hurricane Creekkeeper, is shooting the video to capture community reaction to local government’s decision to store toxic coal ash in the nearby Arrowhead Landfill. That coal ash is recovered from the Emory River where more than a billion gallons of the toxic material spilled in December 2008 from a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) coal-firing plant in east Tennessee.

As part of a years-long, billion-dollar cleanup of the area, the TVA is hauling truckloads of the recovered coal ash from the river to the landfill in Perry County, an impoverished and historically black community in rural Alabama.

Local government calls the deal a “boon to the community.” It is expected to bring more than $3 million in “host fees” plus generate a few dozen jobs. Locals worry that they will have to shoulder the burden while city and county officials rake in the benefits.

“Sometimes at night when I’m in my bed I have my window cracked a little bit for some fresh air to keep from running the fan. I pick up this odor,” Ms. Ruby says. “I really don’ t want to say what it smell like. Some kind of gas. And it’s a bad scent … It wakes me up and it gets all through my house.

“I am concerned about my health. I’m breathing this stuff.”

Ms. Ruby and her neighbors worry their concerns are falling on deaf ears. But they aren’t the only ones who fear their health is in jeopardy. The recovered coal ash from Tennessee is being dumped into the Arrowhead Landfill and combined with household garbage. The liquid that drains from that landfill, also known as leachate, is trucked to nearby Marion, where it is then dumped into an open sewer lagoon and combined with sewage.

“The stench is horrible,” Wathen points out in his video. “Citizens nearby both locations fear for their health and safety.”

Watch Ms. Ruby’s and residents’ reactions.

Click here to view the embedded video.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Perry County residents voice concerns about coal ash storage

Turner testified at a congressional hearing last week about the coal ash cleanup and storage. Also testifying was TVA CEO Tom Kilgore, who said the nation’s largest utility will spend about $1 billion to improve coal ash storage facilities and convert wet storage to dry storage, considered a safer alternative.

The TVA is already shelling about $1.2 billion to clean up the mess it left when its impoundment pond breached, a process estimated to take about three years to complete. It also gave more than $40 million to Roane County, Tenn., to pay for upgrades to the city’s utilities and roads as well as fund a massive public relations campaign aimed at improving the city’s image following the spill.

But not everyone is sharing Turner’s excitement about the presence of recovered coal ash in Perry County. Environmentalist groups are accusing the TVA of using the impoverished county as a dumping ground for its toxic waste. Residents are also concerned about the threat of toxins leaching through the soil and contaminating ground water. Their voices are muted by those in power, like Turner, who last week told the TVA, “I say thank you, and send us some more.”

Source: Knox News

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Turner calls coal ash storage a ‘godsend’

Last December, the lives of the residents of Kingston, Tenn., were changed forever when a coal ash impoundment pond breached, dumping 1.1 billion gallons of toxic material on to 300 acres of rural community. The sludge, piled as high as nine feet in some areas, toppled houses, damaged property, and contaminated nearby waterways. Homeowners were displaced, businesses were compromised, locals began suffering from respiratory problems and were testing positive for heavy metals in their blood.

Suddenly, the country took notice. Environmentalists argued that what had been dubbed as one of the largest environmental disasters of its kind in U.S. history could have been avoided had the federal government been regulating the storage of coal ash. Instead, those regulations were left up to local governments and facility owners, who wallowed in denial instead of dealing with the warning signs of possible storage pond failures.

Recent tests on coal ash show that the sludge contains dangerous toxins that have been linked to serious health concerns such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. Yet, the material was never classified as a hazardous material, and thus never fell under federal regulations.

Since the coal ash spill last year, the Environmental Protection Agency has been inspecting coal storage sites throughout the country and offering recommendations. But where does that leave American citizens who live close to coal ash impoundment ponds, including residents who live in Perry County, which is now taking in coal ash recovered from the east Tennessee spill site?

Turner calls it a “godsend.” By storing the recovered coal ash, Perry County will reap millions of dollars in storage fees and about 50 new jobs have been created at the local landfill. A group of residents from Perry County beg to disagree. They have filed suit against the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) saying the EPA should not allow the landfill to receive any more coal ash because there are no set standards for the safe disposal of ash and the prevention of it leaching into waterways, and because gasses from the lagoons are causing respiratory problems for area residents.

The attorney representing the residents says his clients are ready to file a lawsuit against the owners of the landfill as well.

Sources:
The Birmingham News
Selma Times-Journal

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Perry County residents file lawsuit against ADEM

Since the massive spill, called one of the largest environmental disasters in the country, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has been undergoing an expected three-year, $1 billion cleanup effort of the land. Part of that cleanup involves recovering the spilled ash from the Emory River and loading it on to train cars to be dumped in landfills in other states and counties. Alabama’s Perry County was the first recipient.

Perry County is predominantly black and home to some of Alabama’s poorest citizens. Many are fuming at the local government’s decision to store the coal ash there and worry that the toxic material may seep into the soil and contaminate ground water. Coal ash contains dangerous toxins that have been linked to serious health issues such as cancer, liver damage and neurological problems.

But proponents of the coal ash dumping plan say the benefits out weigh the risks. The county is reaping a $1.05 per ton fee on the storage, which amounts to more than $1 million for the area. Plus, more than 50 jobs have been generated in the community.

Despite the benefits, residents like Holmes say the landfill has changed the community she grew up in. “Everybody was happy and we looked out for each other as we still do,” she said, “but we never had nothing like this.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Resident upset about county’s decision to store recovered coal ash

The county will reap about $8 million over three years from fees. The project will also help improve the mine where the coal ash will be stored and bring road improvements so that covered trucks can haul the coal ash up the mountain to the landfill. What could be wrong with such a plan?

Plenty, say residents who live near the landfill. “I’ve been here for about three years. It’s just a beautiful place. It’s waterfalls, ponds, nature,” says David Brundage, owner of Black Cat Lodge, a rehabilitation escape for people recovering from drug and alcohol addictions. “My concern is everything I’ve built, everything I have here is going to be gone.”

It’s a valid concern. People who lived in the east Tennessee community of Kingston know far too well what can happen in a worse-case scenario. Residents there lost homes and property when 1.1 billion gallons of toxic coal ash tumbled from an impoundment pond from the nearby Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) coal-burning site. The December 2008 tragedy is listed as the largest environmental disaster of its kind in U.S. history. In an effort to restore the land, TVA is undergoing a three-year, $1 billion cleanup of the land. As part of the cleanup, gallons of recovered coal ash are being shipped via train car to a landfill in Perry County, Alabama, for storage, a move that is winning more support from Perry County officials than from the residents who live there.

Once the Alabama landfill is filled to its brim, TVA officials plan to load up covered trucks and move the toxic coal ash to neighboring Cumberland County, atop Smith Mountain. Which begs the question: how do you define a good neighbor?

Source: News Channel 5

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Cumberland residents say ‘no;’ officials say ‘yes’ to coal ash

“Money ain’t worth everything,” says Mary Gibson Holley, a retired teacher in Uniontown, in an interview with the New York Times.“In the long run, they ain’t looking about what this could do to the community if something goes wrong.”

When the coal ash spill occurred in east Tennessee last December, it knocked houses from their foundations, destroyed land, and contaminated nearby waterways. People living near the spill have reported heightened anxiety and respiratory problems. Even a young child was tested positive for heavy metals in his blood. Coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic, lead, barium, chromium and manganese which have been linked to serious health conditions such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications, to name a few.

It is estimated that the TVA will spend close to $1 billion before its cleanup effort in east Tennessee is complete. That cleanup includes relocating the recovered coal ash to landfills in other states, including the Arrowhead Landfill in Uniontown, Ala.

Arrowhead is getting about 8,500 tons of recovered coal ash. The deal, arranged by the TVA and state and county officials, has brought 30 new jobs to the area and will bring in more than $3 million in “host fees.” The benefits sound like a great deal for the very poor and mostly black county. And even some environmentalists say storage at the Arrowhead site is ideal, with dry storage dug into a nearly impermeable bed about 600 feet above the water table.

But lack of trust runs high in Perry County, where residents fear environmental hazards, such as tornadoes and flooding, not to mention equipment failures, might cause another spill like that in east Tennessee.

“We’ve been taken advantage of by several groups of powers that be,” said Robert Bamberg, a catfish farmer and organizer of Concerned Citizens of Perry County, a group of landfill opponents. “There’s a sense among the population that we’ve been thrown under the bus.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Uniontown residents concerned about shipments of coal ash

Perry County is populated by predominantly blacks and is one of the poorest counties in the state where more than 30 percent of families live in poverty. Residents there will benefit from the plan, gaining about 50 jobs and earning millions off dumping fees. However, opponents say the plan is unjust.

More than a billion gallons of coal ash poured on Kingston, Tennessee, last December after a TVA coal ash impoundment breached. The massive wave of coal ash toppled houses, destroyed property and contaminated nearby waterways.

Coal ash contains dangerous toxins that have been associated with serious health concerns such as cancer and liver damage. Those living in and around Kingston, Tennessee, where the coal ash spilled, have reported more respiratory problems and heightened anxiety. Some, including a toddler, have already tested positive for heavy metals in their blood.

“As if the initial spread of sludge from the TVA was not bad enough, shipping that much coal ash to Perry County, Alabama, seems very short sighted,” says Rhon Jones, Toxic Torts Section Head with Beasley Allen Law Firm. “I feel certain that many residents of Perry County share our concern that this plan is not in the best interest of Perry County citizens.”

Source: New York Times

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › EPA approves TVA’s bid to store recovered coal ash in Alabama

“I’m not crazy about it,” said Hank James in an interview with the Tuscaloosa News. “From what I’ve read, it doesn’t sound like a great thing for any community to deal with.”

Coal ash is not classified as a hazardous material by the Environmental Protection Agency, but since 2000, improved pollution controls have kept toxins from leaving smokestacks and thus have increased the amount of toxins in coal ash. The material may contain arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which can contribute to serious health complications such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

When the coal ash spill occurred last December, more than a billion gallons poured over 300 acres of a nearby community, knocking homes off their foundations and piling as high as nine feet in some areas. Numerous people have been displaced, some have suffered medical complications, and despite TVA’s claims to fully restore the property, some say it will always hold traces of dangerous materials that can harm wildlife and plant life that live off the land and in the waterways.

More than half of the recovered coal ash is expected to be stored in the rural Alabama town. A breach similar to that at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) plant in Kingston, Tennessee, could devastate the impoverished Perry County.

Perry County officials contend that the Arrowhead Landfill, where the recovered coal ash will be stored, was built to modern standards and is in full compliance with ADEM regulations. The landfill is lined with a heavy plastic to keep toxins from seeping into the ground and a purification system is capable of cleaning the fluids to a level clean enough to dump into nearby streams. A series of wells will help monitor to ensure hazardous toxins don’t get into drinking water.

But those reassurances aren’t enough to sway some concerned citizens. “As far as making any kind of benefit for this community, I don’t see any,” says John Osemer, 87, a lifelong resident of Uniontown.

Image courtesy Tuscaloosa News

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Recovered toxic coal ash to be stored in rural Alabama