Kingston Ash Release
Area Resident Information
TVA’s Outreach Center in Kingston has now worked
with almost 750 families to address their questions,
concerns, and property damage claims.
This outreach to local residents began when the ash spill occurred in the early morning of Monday, December 22, 2008. At that time, members of the Roane County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (EMHS) responded immediately, along with TVA, and we appreciate their skill and professionalism. TVA’s first priority at Kingston was to help the people directly impacted, especially the three families whose homes were severely damaged. We ensured that they were safe and that they had temporary housing, meals, and other necessities.
We established teams of TVA employees and retirees to provide a single point of contact for each family affected to ensure their needs were met and their concerns addressed. The five community outreach teams began visiting 10 to 15 homeowners each day and attended meetings with homeowner and community groups to answer their questions.
On January 6, TVA opened the Outreach Center at
509 North Kentucky Street in Kingston where TVA
staff members continue to be available to respond to
residents’ inquiries. TVA activated a phone number,
800-257-2675, for property owners to call if they need
an assessment of damages. Claims adjustors and field
staff were provided by a national claims management
company at the Outreach Center to conduct on-site
damage assessments.
Following the spill, TVA participated in public
meetings hosted by Roane County and the cities of
Kingston and Harriman to provide information and
answer questions. TVA hosted a public open house
with representatives from key state and federal
agencies on January 15 at Roane State Community
College where local residents could pose questions to experts and obtain information. A second open house was held March 30.
TVA representatives also have attended several other homeowner and community meetings and public forums to provide updates and answer questions. Please check this Web site for the latest information on recovery site operations.
Health Questions
To address potential health issues, residents with medical issues that they believe are associated with the ash spill are referred to the local office of the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) at the Roane County Health Department.
TVA also has contracted
with Ridgeview Psychiatric Clinic for those individuals
in the affected area who would like to talk with a
mental health professional about what they have
experienced.
View a brochure on the program.
TVA is developing a plan to respond to individual
health concerns, including a process for determining
whether there are health effects that may be
related to the ash released from Kingston. We have
contracted with Oak Ridge Associated Universities
(ORAU) to provide community members and the
local medical community with access to medical
and toxicology experts who have experience
and knowledge in the health effects related to
contaminants in the ash. ORAU is a consortium of
100 universities that collaborate to advance scientific research and education. It has expertise in public health communication, design of medical monitoring
programs, and independent verification of the cleanup
of contaminated sites. Details on how to access these medical experts will be coming soon from ORAU.
View a letter that includes a short explanation of what ORAU will offer.
It should be noted these programs are available to residents of Roane County only.
Property Purchases
TVA has worked first with the property owners most affected by the Kingston ash spill. We are working hard to be responsive and responsible as we address property owners’ claims, and we appreciate the patience of the property owners as we have worked through this process.
The released ash covered about 300 acres, of which
eight acres were privately owned lands, not owned or
managed by TVA. Within the first month, TVA began
purchasing affected properties using appraisals by
state-certified residential and general appraisers. Offers
were made based on the higher of two independent
appraisals. The appraisals are based on property
values as of December 20, 2008, before the spill.
TVA has purchased more than 100 properties to date. TVA may purchase additional property that is directly affected by the remediation efforts moving forward. TVA is committed to ensuring that Roane County property tax revenues will not be negatively affected by the purchase of these properties.
Recreation
The Environmental Protection Agency, the Tennessee Department of Health, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and Tennessee Valley Authority are issuing an advisory regarding boating, swimming and fishing on Watts Bar Reservoir. Read More.
Page Updated June 26, 2009 10:52 AM