TVA To Begin Disposal of Ash Recovered from Emory River

July 2, 2009

HARRIMAN, Tenn. – TVA today will begin transporting ash dredged from the Emory River to the Arrowhead Landfill in Perry County, Alabama, following the Environmental Protection Agency’s formal approval of the disposal site. This marks another milestone in TVA’s clean-up and restoration of the area affected by the Kingston Fossil Plant ash spill last December.

The selection of the Perry County, Alabama, landfill as an initial permanent disposal location follows a rigorous Request for Proposal evaluation process that involved more than 30 companies. The evaluation of the proposals included a comprehensive examination of numerous loading, transportation and disposal options and approaches. The initial transportation of the recovered ash to the Alabama site will be by rail.

Because additional dredging capacity is expected to significantly increase the rate of ash removal from the Emory River by the end of July, TVA is continuing to explore and assess other permanent disposal options in addition to the Perry County, Alabama, site.

“Removal of ash from the Emory River is our primary focus, and approval to transport ash to a permanent disposal site is a major milestone on this project and assures continued progress with this important aspect of our work,” said TVA’s Environmental Executive Anda Ray. “This milestone is the result of coordination and efforts of many agencies, demonstrating the importance of expediting the removal of ash from the river.”

TVA estimates that 3 million tons of ash recovered from the Emory River near Kingston will be removed over the next 12 months.

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 9 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.

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