TVA Submits Corrective Action Plan for Kingston Recovery

March 3, 2009

TVA has submitted its Corrective Action Plan to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the Environmental Protection Agency for the recovery efforts at Kingston Fossil Plant. The comprehensive plan outlines how TVA will proceed with planning and implementing all work needed to restore the site of the ash spill while maintaining public health and safety.

TVA’s Corrective Action Plan must be approved by TDEC and EPA as part of the enforcement order issued by TDEC and letter from EPA in January. The enforcement order requires TVA to maintain state and federal involvement in the recovery effort. The plan provides a framework for future decisions on remediation, ongoing monitoring of drinking water supplies, managing ash and involving the public in remediation decisions.

Overall, TVA is focusing the recovery effort on these objectives:

• Maintaining the health and safety of the public and those working on the project. TVA and other agencies will continue to monitor air and drinking water supplies to ensure they continue to meet standards. TVA will also address short-term and long-term measures for managing ash and address any related health and safety issues.
• Involving the public, affected property owners, and other agencies in the formulation of recovery activities. The plan calls for extensive public input as TVA develops and evaluates possible remediation actions. TVA will also establish an Interagency Team of representatives from county, state and federal agencies to serve as a sounding board and technical resource throughout the clean-up.
• Restoring impacted natural and public resources expeditiously. This includes environmental remediation of the area, ongoing monitoring of air and water, suppression of dust from the spilled ash, and short-term and long-term measures to manage ash disposal.
• Making things as good, if not better, than they were before. This includes measures to control upstream flooding along the Emory River and to continue to accommodate recreational use of the river system.

“TVA is working diligently to recover and restore the site of the ash spill at Kingston Fossil Plant,” said TVA Senior Vice President of Environment and Research Anda Ray. “We are working as quickly and safely as possible to recover the area, and we are working with local residents to address their needs and concerns.

“We have committed to making things right for the people in the area, and that’s what we will do,” Ray said.

A milestone in TVA’s recovery actions is the dredging of ash from the Emory River channel near the Kingston plant. The dredging plan TVA submitted to TDEC and EPA has now been approved; the next step is for TVA to submit a sampling plan to TDEC and EPA for approval before actually starting the dredging work.

TVA is starting some preliminary activities now to prepare for the dredging work and to ensure it will be done safely and efficiently. Ash removed from the river will be separated from the water it is in and temporarily stored on site until TVA has an approved process in place for long-term disposal or storage.

Meanwhile, air quality and water quality in the local area continue to meet government standards. More than 16,000 air, water and soil samples have been collected by TVA and other agencies. Monitoring of water quality shows that water from municipal water systems and private wells meets state standards, and dust levels in the air are better than National Ambient Air Quality Standards. TVA continues to take measures to suppress dust from the spill and from roads in the area.

TVA has worked with more than 600 area families on their questions, concerns and property damage claims. TVA has purchased more than 40 directly affected properties to date, and discussions continue with other property owners. Two important local roads – Swan Pond Road and Swan Pond Circle – have been cleared for construction traffic, and the damaged rail line at the site has been repaired.

TVA will follow the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act for community involvement and evaluation of alternatives as it makes long-term decisions on site recovery and remediation.

TVA is the nation’s largest public power provider and is completely self-financing. TVA provides power to large industries and 158 power distributors that serve approximately 8.6 million consumers in seven southeastern states. TVA also manages the Tennessee River and its tributaries to provide multiple benefits, including flood damage reduction, navigation, water quality and recreation.

Media Contact

John Moulton, Knoxville, (865) 632-8048
TVA News Bureau, Knoxville, (865) 632-6000

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