Tennessee Valley Authority
Kingston Ash Release
Expanded Kingston Information
Index (Newest Information First)
ORAU Issues Call for Proposals for Coal Ash Research
Report To The TVA Board of Directors Regarding Kingston Factual Findings
AECOM Response To Barry Thacker Evaluation of Root Cause Analysis
Eckman Dredge And Visual Operations Survey Results
House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Hearing
Contract Employee Dies in Accident at Kingston Recovery Site
Storage Impoundment Reassessment
Stantec Phase I Inspection Reports Released
Recreational Advisory For Watts Bar Reservoir
Beneficial Uses Of Coal Combustion Products
Recreational Advisory for Watts Bar Reservoir
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.
Emory River Section
The public is cautioned to avoid recreational use of the lower Emory River in the vicinity of the ash release down to the confluence of the Emory and Clinch Rivers, which includes adjacent coves, inlets, islands, and sand bars. Small vessel traffic is currently channeled through a well-marked navigational lane, but swimming, jet skiing, water skiing and tubing are not advised at this time in these areas. In addition to construction related risks, contact with submerged or floating ash should be avoided, and if ash is contacted it should be washed off with soap and water. Chronic exposure by incidental ingestion and inhalation should also be avoided.
Clinch River and Tennessee River Sections
Water- based recreation on the Clinch and Tennessee Rivers should not be impacted this season and can continue. It is safe to swim, boat and eat most kinds of fish. See TDEC's Web site for more information about already existing fish consumption advisories.
Additional information, including a recreational swimming scenario, can be found on the Community Information section of EPA’s Kingston ste at at www.epakingstontva.com.
If you require further information or instructions regarding recreational use of Watts Bar Reservoir, please contact:
EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, Stephanie Y. Brown at
1-800-564-7577 or 678-575-8505.
TVA Public Information Manager, Barbara Martocci at
865-632-8632.
The Roane County Health Department at 865-354-1220.
Guideline For Health
TVA is committed to recovering the ash that was released from Kingston and restoring
the area in a manner that will protect public health and the environment. Available
information indicates the risk of physical health impacts from exposure to Kingston ash
is very low. However, individuals have expressed concerns about impacts to their
health as a result of the ash release. The health guideline explains how TVA plans to
respond to these concerns.
Selenium Information
Selenium is a naturally occurring mineral element found in rocks and soil. In low level doses it is actually good for the health; most people are exposed to it daily through food, water and even as a vitamin supplement. TVA’s water quality monitoring has not detected levels of selenium in water in the Kingston area that violate standards, and we’ve seen no evidence that selenium is a problem. Nonetheless, out of an abundance of caution, TVA and the State of Tennessee are continuing their sampling and monitoring. Read more
TVA, EPA Sign Agreement on Site Clean-up at Kingston
TVA and the federal Environmental Protection Agency
announced today an EPA Order and Agreement that documents the relationship
between TVA and EPA in managing the clean-up of the Kingston ash spill and further
ensures that TVA will meet all federal and state environmental requirements in restoring
affected areas.
Frequently Asked Question On Agreement
View Order (PDF)
CERCLA Directive
On April 1, 2009, Tom Kilgore, TVA President & Chief Executive Officer, directed Anda Ray, Senior Vice President, Office of Environment & Research, to oversee environmental response actions for the Kingston Ash Spill to ensure that response actions necessary to protect the public health or welfare or the environment are undertaken at Kingston consistent with the National Contingency Plan.
View Directive
Corrective Action Plan
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. View the plan. (PDF file 10.3 mb)
Emory River Update
Here are some key facts on the Emory river related to the recent heavy rains in the area:
- High flows in the Emory River continue to go down, with no drinking water problems reported.
- The flow in the Emory River was about 4,600 cubic feet per second (cfs) as of Friday, May 8.
- Typical flows are between 700 and 1,300 cfs. The highest flow seen over the last several days, due to rain, was 69,000 cfs.
- TVA continues to monitor water quality as does the EPA and the state of Tennessee. Routine monitoring was suspended on Wednesday and Thursday due to concerns about employee safety. Routine monitoring is expected to begin again on Friday, May 8, depending on weather.
- Drinking water continues to be monitored daily by the Kingston Water Treatment plant, which has reported no problems with drinking water quality.
- Due to the large flows in the river, more cenospheres are moving downriver. TVA has increased the numbers of crews to work on removal of the cenospheres in the Emory, Clinch and Tennessee rivers.
- TVA is working hard to also remove the debris that is coming from upstream of the Kingston site and floating downriver from the Emory, as well as the Clinch River, with the cenospheres.
- For storms such as those the area has experienced recently, it is not unusual for large amounts of trash and debris to flow into and move downriver. As the material is collected by the booms in the rivers, TVA will remove it as quickly as possible.
- When it is safe to get back on the river, TVA will remap the river bottom to determine if ash moved and where it was deposited.
- Dredging resumed in the river on Thursday, May 7, with the hydrolabs continually monitoring various parameters to ensure ash in the river is not being further stirred up by the operation.
Sediment Sampling
In order to determine if there were issues with
historic river sediment, samples of the sediment were
taken prior to the start of TVA’s dredging activities.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), at TVA’s
request, collected core samples of sediments at eight
locations in the Clinch River immediately downstream
of the mouth of the Emory River and at two locations
in the Emory River. Those samples were analyzed for
23 metals, PCBs, and chlordane. Because the goal
was to find out if PCBs were present in older, deeper
sediments, DOE segmented the cores into six-inch sections, beginning six inches below the point where
the surface deposits stopped and historic deposits
began. Then they tested each segment of the core.
DOE detected PCBs in the historic sediment from
the Emory River at mile 0.5. Consequently, TVA
performed additional random sampling of surface
sediments (0 to 6 inches in depth) at eight locations
between Emory River miles 0.3 and 0.8.
TVA chose to analyze only the surface samples since
those are the most likely sediments to be disturbed
by dredging operations if TVA were to dredge that
part of the Emory River. At this time, there is no
plan to dredge downstream of Emory River mile 1.5.
Results for PCBs in the eight surface samples at mile
0.5 were all less than the reporting limit of 0.033
milligrams per kilogram. There were several instances
of detection of PCBs at extremely low levels (0.010
mg/kg or less). Therefore, if recovery efforts were to disturb surface sediments, legacy PCBs do not appear
to be a problem.
Beneficial Uses Of Coal Combustion Products
Studies and research conducted or supported by EPA, Electric Power and Research Institute (EPRI), government agencies, and universities indicates that the beneficial uses of coal combustion products have not been shown to present significant risks to human health or the environment. Read more on the EPA's Coal Combustion Products Partnership Web site.
Dust Suppression
TVA is taking measures to reduce the amount of airborne dust that may arise from the ash. To minimize dust and erosion, the undisturbed portion of the ash cell is being treated with Flexterra, a liquid dust suppression agent, composed primarily of wood fibers. This is a temporary measure for controlling dust and erosion while long-term recovery efforts continue.
Page Updated August 12, 2009 9:32 AM