usvi-on-line
Tennessee Disaster
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California Girl
Tennessee Disaster
I hope all my Tennessee forum friends are ok after the toxic spill in Harriman!
By Citizen Correspondent Kevin Bartoy
Date Posted: 12/24/08
An environmental catastrophe of enormous proportions has just occurred in Tennessee. You have probably heard nothing about this event as it is getting almost no coverage beyond the local area.
On Monday, over 500 million gallons of toxic coal ash sludge was released from a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) power plant when dike at the a waste pond completely failed. Constructed in the 1960s, the dike had previously small failures over the course of its history, but nothing of this magnitude had occurred.
The toxic sludge destroyed twelve homes, but no one was injured by the torrent of toxins that rushed through Harriman, Tennessee and into tributaries of the Tennessee River. The toxic sludge has already resulted in a tremendous fish kill that immediately followed in its aftermath. The TVA is now promising to work through the holidays to test the sludge, which without question contains mercury and high levels of heavy metals, such as lead and arsenic.
This catastrophe has now released toxins directly into tributaries of the Tennessee River, which provides drinking water for Chattanooga as well as hundreds of other downstream communities in Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky.
Just to put this disaster into perspective, the Exxon Valdez released just under 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound. The catastrophe at Harriman, Tennessee, is almost 50 times greater than that in Alaska. And, I bet that you haven't heard a word about it in the news.
How can an environmental catastrophe of such magnitude occur and our media be so silent?
If you think that I am exaggerating about the devastation, look for yourself.
Video here:
http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=XnJUSHpTm-E
Everyone who reads this must act as the media and get the word out. Please do your part to spread this news to all of your friends, family, and even your local media. It is going to take serious citizen action to bring the attention of the nation to this catastrophe.
By Citizen Correspondent Kevin Bartoy
Date Posted: 12/24/08
An environmental catastrophe of enormous proportions has just occurred in Tennessee. You have probably heard nothing about this event as it is getting almost no coverage beyond the local area.
On Monday, over 500 million gallons of toxic coal ash sludge was released from a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) power plant when dike at the a waste pond completely failed. Constructed in the 1960s, the dike had previously small failures over the course of its history, but nothing of this magnitude had occurred.
The toxic sludge destroyed twelve homes, but no one was injured by the torrent of toxins that rushed through Harriman, Tennessee and into tributaries of the Tennessee River. The toxic sludge has already resulted in a tremendous fish kill that immediately followed in its aftermath. The TVA is now promising to work through the holidays to test the sludge, which without question contains mercury and high levels of heavy metals, such as lead and arsenic.
This catastrophe has now released toxins directly into tributaries of the Tennessee River, which provides drinking water for Chattanooga as well as hundreds of other downstream communities in Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky.
Just to put this disaster into perspective, the Exxon Valdez released just under 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound. The catastrophe at Harriman, Tennessee, is almost 50 times greater than that in Alaska. And, I bet that you haven't heard a word about it in the news.
How can an environmental catastrophe of such magnitude occur and our media be so silent?
If you think that I am exaggerating about the devastation, look for yourself.
Video here:
http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=XnJUSHpTm-E
Everyone who reads this must act as the media and get the word out. Please do your part to spread this news to all of your friends, family, and even your local media. It is going to take serious citizen action to bring the attention of the nation to this catastrophe.
I think this may be getting appropriate publicity...I saw it on several channels of my TV here yesterday. I would like to see what the facts are before jumping on the "conspiracy theory" bandwagon or anything. It is definately unfortunate this happened and there are going to be environmental and legal ramifications from it. I'm sorry for the people affected as well as TVA...it will suck for all of them. I hope they can mitigate spreading of any contamination and minimize the effects of the current exposure...
I feel the public is only beginning to understand the "cost" of our modern world, energy consumption, etc...
I feel the public is only beginning to understand the "cost" of our modern world, energy consumption, etc...
STJ Villa Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 2&t=h&z=14
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 2&t=h&z=14
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California Girl
I wouldn't necssarily call it a "conspiracy", but here in California I only heard it reported once on a national news channel (Fox? CNN?) and I've been home sick all week watching TV. In order to get the details, I had to Google it. I have to say I agree that this mess isn't getting enough national coverage.
From TVA website:
TVA, local, state and federal agencies continue to work on recovery and clean up of a release of ash caused by a failure of a coal fly ash containment retention wall at TVA’s Kingston Fossil Plant in East Tennessee.....An aerial survey completed on Tuesday shows that about 5.4 million cubic yards of ash has been displaced. Along with a more accurate determination of the volume of ash released, the aerial survey verified that ash covers less area that originally estimated. The displaced ash covers slightly less than 300 acres.
Some of the remaining dry ash about 370 feet from Swan Pond Road in the storage area is expected to fall away from the edge of the remaining ash pile. This will help to level off the remaining ash. Due to the distance from the roadway and the relative dryness of the ash, no effects outside the area of the ash retention area are expected.
December 23, 2008 Press Conference
Kilgore began by noting that the situation was not what he wanted for TVA and those affected, particularly in the holiday season.
Kilgore stressed how grateful he was that there were no injuries.
He explained TVA’s extensive outreach to contact residents of the area and to place those in need in temporary housing, providing them with meal gift cards and shopping cards for necessities.
Kilgore said the next steps will be home inspections and consultation with homeowners, then recovery of the area, which will include engineering, environmental-impact assessment and actual recovery.
He said Kingston Fossil Plant has enough coal to operate the plant for 60 days. However, with warmer days predicted for the immediate future, he said the plant may be taken offline to conserve the coal for use on colder days to come.
He said he’d been at the site since early Monday morning and emphasized his appreciation for the TVA employees and many others assisting in the effort. These include local officials, police and fire officers, and emergency crews, as well as representatives from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard.
Kilgore also offered his thanks to the TVA employees who will be working through Christmas on this 24/7 effort.
He briefed the media on several key points about the recovery operation:
Safety. The emphasis to all employees and everyone working with TVA is to work safely and to protect the public’s safety.
Outreach to the community and the media. TVA is making every effort to contact residents of affected homes who are out of town for Christmas. TVA also is putting those displaced in contact with realty agents to find them homes for the near future. Kilgore said crews are working to restore a water supply to all in the event area. He noted that there is an Emergency Control Center in Chattanooga that will be staffed 24/7.
Recovery efforts (including engineering, environmental matters, and river operations). Kilgore explained the process of containment and cleanup and said TVA, local, state and federal officials are constantly sampling water in the area for drinking quality. TVA continues the work to clear Swan Pond Road, which is expected to take weeks. TVA is planning to extend a boom downstream to collect the fine parts of the fly ash floating on top of the water.
Security. TVA Police and local law-enforcement officials are asking boaters to stay away from the area and not to attempt to come by to observe the scene.
History and inspections. Kilgore gave the reporters a full history of the site. “The report is intended to be self critical,” he said. It described two leaks that were fixed in recent years and described other steps that were taken to maintain the site. Also, the most recent annual inspection of the Kingston dikes was conducted in October 2008. That formal report is not complete. However, a preliminary report shows that a ‘wet spot' was found, indicating a minor leaking issue. There were no significant problems found that indicated that the dikes were unstable to the point of failure.
TVA, local, state and federal agencies continue to work on recovery and clean up of a release of ash caused by a failure of a coal fly ash containment retention wall at TVA’s Kingston Fossil Plant in East Tennessee.....An aerial survey completed on Tuesday shows that about 5.4 million cubic yards of ash has been displaced. Along with a more accurate determination of the volume of ash released, the aerial survey verified that ash covers less area that originally estimated. The displaced ash covers slightly less than 300 acres.
Some of the remaining dry ash about 370 feet from Swan Pond Road in the storage area is expected to fall away from the edge of the remaining ash pile. This will help to level off the remaining ash. Due to the distance from the roadway and the relative dryness of the ash, no effects outside the area of the ash retention area are expected.
December 23, 2008 Press Conference
Kilgore began by noting that the situation was not what he wanted for TVA and those affected, particularly in the holiday season.
Kilgore stressed how grateful he was that there were no injuries.
He explained TVA’s extensive outreach to contact residents of the area and to place those in need in temporary housing, providing them with meal gift cards and shopping cards for necessities.
Kilgore said the next steps will be home inspections and consultation with homeowners, then recovery of the area, which will include engineering, environmental-impact assessment and actual recovery.
He said Kingston Fossil Plant has enough coal to operate the plant for 60 days. However, with warmer days predicted for the immediate future, he said the plant may be taken offline to conserve the coal for use on colder days to come.
He said he’d been at the site since early Monday morning and emphasized his appreciation for the TVA employees and many others assisting in the effort. These include local officials, police and fire officers, and emergency crews, as well as representatives from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard.
Kilgore also offered his thanks to the TVA employees who will be working through Christmas on this 24/7 effort.
He briefed the media on several key points about the recovery operation:
Safety. The emphasis to all employees and everyone working with TVA is to work safely and to protect the public’s safety.
Outreach to the community and the media. TVA is making every effort to contact residents of affected homes who are out of town for Christmas. TVA also is putting those displaced in contact with realty agents to find them homes for the near future. Kilgore said crews are working to restore a water supply to all in the event area. He noted that there is an Emergency Control Center in Chattanooga that will be staffed 24/7.
Recovery efforts (including engineering, environmental matters, and river operations). Kilgore explained the process of containment and cleanup and said TVA, local, state and federal officials are constantly sampling water in the area for drinking quality. TVA continues the work to clear Swan Pond Road, which is expected to take weeks. TVA is planning to extend a boom downstream to collect the fine parts of the fly ash floating on top of the water.
Security. TVA Police and local law-enforcement officials are asking boaters to stay away from the area and not to attempt to come by to observe the scene.
History and inspections. Kilgore gave the reporters a full history of the site. “The report is intended to be self critical,” he said. It described two leaks that were fixed in recent years and described other steps that were taken to maintain the site. Also, the most recent annual inspection of the Kingston dikes was conducted in October 2008. That formal report is not complete. However, a preliminary report shows that a ‘wet spot' was found, indicating a minor leaking issue. There were no significant problems found that indicated that the dikes were unstable to the point of failure.
STJ Villa Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 2&t=h&z=14
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 2&t=h&z=14
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California Girl
Sure, I'm sure there will be plenty o' spin on both sides of the story too...California Girl wrote:Thanks for posting that Sherban. I wish they had said more about the toxicity of the ash, but I guess that will come out later as the investigation & cleanup continue.
One camp will be saying it is a disaster and will kill everything, the other saying it isn't that big of a deal as far as toxicity is concerned. Either way it is a bummer that it happened...for sure.
I'm sure there will be a root cause analysis and impact study and then corrective actions across the industry to prevent similar occurances...unfortunately, sometimes an accident has to occur before the industry understands the dangers well enough to mitigate them...TMI comes to mind...
I hope for the best possible outcome in TN.
STJ Villa Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 2&t=h&z=14
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 2&t=h&z=14
The spill is making headlines in Kentucky, too.
From today's (12/27) Kentucky.com Lexington Herald Leader http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/638848.html
Coal ash spill much larger than thought
By Shaila Dewan - New York Times News Service
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 larger than initially estimated, according to an updated survey by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Officials at the TVA 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 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 1 foot deep.
The amount now said to have been spilled is larger than the amount the TVA 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 TVA, which owns the Kingston Fossil electrical generating plant, one of the authority's largest. Moulton said Friday that the levels exceeded safety limits for drinking water, but that both metals are 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 close to 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, Moulton said.
Neither the TVA nor the EPA 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 TVA spokeswoman. "You'd have to eat it. You have to get it in your body." But residents such as Deanna Copeland were thinking further into the future. "Our concern is, what happens if this liquid dries out?" 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 Friday, much of it clearing roads and railway tracks 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. An underwater dam that would keep settled ash from moving downstream was about one-fifth completed, TVA officials said.
Some nearby residents said that the TVA had done little to address their concerns. "We're terribly frustrated," said Donald Smith, 58, a laboratory facilities manager who lives in the area. "It seems like TVA 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 figures 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. TVA officials offered little explanation for the discrepancy, saying the initial number was an estimate based on their information at the time.
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.
The TVA is still investigating the cause of the breach, but officials have suggested that unusually heavy rain and cold weather may have been factors.
I'm not sure how many more of these disasters have to occur before something changes. In 2000, a damn broke at a Massey Coal processing plant in Inez, KY releasing 250 million gallons of coal sludge into 100's of miles of rivers and streams in KY and WV killing millions of fish and other animal life. The amount of sludge released was greater than the Valdez Oil spill (10.8 million gallons) in Alaska in 1989.
The Massey sludge contained measurable amounts of heavy metals including arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium, copper, copper, and chromium, contaminated water supplies of riverside communities in Kentucky and West Virginia. Four municipal drinking water intakes were shut down.
Three weeks ago, the EPA approved a last-minute rule change that rewrites a 1983 rule that prohibited dumping the fill from mountaintop mining within 100 feet of streams. Basically, this rule change removes the buffer zone currently in place allowing coal companies to dump waste (dirt, sludge, rock) in dry stream beds. This change was opposed by both governors from KY and TN.
Maybe the TVA spill will bring about some change.
From today's (12/27) Kentucky.com Lexington Herald Leader http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/638848.html
Coal ash spill much larger than thought
By Shaila Dewan - New York Times News Service
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 larger than initially estimated, according to an updated survey by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Officials at the TVA 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 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 1 foot deep.
The amount now said to have been spilled is larger than the amount the TVA 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 TVA, which owns the Kingston Fossil electrical generating plant, one of the authority's largest. Moulton said Friday that the levels exceeded safety limits for drinking water, but that both metals are 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 close to 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, Moulton said.
Neither the TVA nor the EPA 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 TVA spokeswoman. "You'd have to eat it. You have to get it in your body." But residents such as Deanna Copeland were thinking further into the future. "Our concern is, what happens if this liquid dries out?" 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 Friday, much of it clearing roads and railway tracks 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. An underwater dam that would keep settled ash from moving downstream was about one-fifth completed, TVA officials said.
Some nearby residents said that the TVA had done little to address their concerns. "We're terribly frustrated," said Donald Smith, 58, a laboratory facilities manager who lives in the area. "It seems like TVA 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 figures 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. TVA officials offered little explanation for the discrepancy, saying the initial number was an estimate based on their information at the time.
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.
The TVA is still investigating the cause of the breach, but officials have suggested that unusually heavy rain and cold weather may have been factors.
I'm not sure how many more of these disasters have to occur before something changes. In 2000, a damn broke at a Massey Coal processing plant in Inez, KY releasing 250 million gallons of coal sludge into 100's of miles of rivers and streams in KY and WV killing millions of fish and other animal life. The amount of sludge released was greater than the Valdez Oil spill (10.8 million gallons) in Alaska in 1989.
The Massey sludge contained measurable amounts of heavy metals including arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium, copper, copper, and chromium, contaminated water supplies of riverside communities in Kentucky and West Virginia. Four municipal drinking water intakes were shut down.
Three weeks ago, the EPA approved a last-minute rule change that rewrites a 1983 rule that prohibited dumping the fill from mountaintop mining within 100 feet of streams. Basically, this rule change removes the buffer zone currently in place allowing coal companies to dump waste (dirt, sludge, rock) in dry stream beds. This change was opposed by both governors from KY and TN.
Maybe the TVA spill will bring about some change.
When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Kentucky, because everything there happens 20 years after it happens anywhere else. – Mark Twain
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California Girl
Officials at the TVA initially said that about 1.7 million cubic yards of wet coal ash had spilled ... 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 1 foot deep.
Neither the TVA nor the EPA 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.
Residents said they were stunned by the new figures 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. TVA officials offered little explanation for the discrepancy, saying the initial number was an estimate based on their information at the time.
Ok, now it's starting to sound like they don't know what the f%#k they're doing and they're just grasping at straws. It's beginning to sound somewhat like Chernobyl (only not as bad, of course). "Oh it was just a little leak... nothing to worry about."pjayer wrote:Three weeks ago, the EPA approved a last-minute rule change that rewrites a 1983 rule that prohibited dumping the fill from mountaintop mining within 100 feet of streams. Basically, this rule change removes the buffer zone currently in place allowing coal companies to dump waste (dirt, sludge, rock) in dry stream beds. This change was opposed by both governors from KY and TN.
Is it because I'm from California where we have a lot of environmental rules that I think this is such a big deal? Personally, I think it's horrid and shameful that the TVA is not more forthcoming with information about the hazards to humans and animals.
And what's up with changing rules & laws that allow ash to be dumped in dry stream beds? Eventually it will rain or flood and then it will be another big issue. I just don't get it.