Tva kingston ash spill

1. PRESENTATION ON
TVA KINGSTON ASH
PILL

2. INTRODUCTION
• The TVA Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill occurred just before 1 a.m.
on Monday December 22, 2008, when an ash dike ruptured at an 84-acre (0.34 km2
)
solid waste containment area at the Tennessee Value Authority Kingston Fossil
plan, Roane County, Tennessee . 1.1 billion US gallons (4,200,000 m3
) of coal fly
ash slurry were released. It was the largest fly ash release in United States history.
• The Kingston Fossil Plant is located on a peninsula at the junction of the Emory
River (to the north) and Clinch River (to the south and east), just over 4 miles
(6.4 km) upstream from the latter's mouth along the Tennessee River.

3. DETAILS OF THE DISASTER
• The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) initially estimated that the spill released 1.7 million cubic yards (1.3 million
m³) of sludge, which is gray in color.
• The EPA first estimated that the spill would take four to six weeks to clean up;
however, Chandra Taylor, the staff attorney for the Southern Environmental Law
Center, said the cleanup could take months and possibly years.
• The 84-acre (0.34 km2
) unlined aboveground ash fill, which was situated 60 feet
(18 m) above the ash pond and 74 feet (23 m) above the Emory River winter level,
741 feet (226 m) above sea level, contained a watery slurry of fly ash generated by
the burning of finely ground coal at the Steam power plant.

4.
• The land surrounding the power plant is largely rural rather than residential, the
spill caused a mudflow wave of water and ash that covered 12 homes, pushing one
entirely off its foundation, rendering three uninhabitable, and caused some damage
to 42 residential properties.
• Local residents said that the spill was not a unique occurrence; the 1960s-era pond
had been observed leaking, and being repaired, nearly every year since 2001.

5. RESPONSE
• TVA spokesman Gil Francis Jr. said that the TVA was "taking steps to stabilize
runoff from this incident."He stated "in terms of toxicity, until an analysis comes
in, you can't call it toxic." He continued by saying that "it does have some heavy
metals within it, but it's not toxic or anything."
• Chandra Taylor, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, called
this statement irresponsible, and stated that coal fly ash contains concentrated
amounts of mercury, arsenic, and benzene.
• the EPA and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation awaited the
results of soil and water testing to judge their response, while the Tennessee
Emergency Management Agency indicated that barriers would be constructed to
stop the ash from reaching the Tennessee River.

6. • TVA issued a list of precautions to residents, but did not provide information about
specific levels of toxic materials in the ash.
• The pond contained decade’s worth of ash from coal of several different types, it is
believed that the area of the spill may contain "hot spots" of higher toxicity.
• In response to independent attempts at sampling of the water quality and the taking
of photos, the TVA illegally detained, for approximately one hour, two members of
the Knoxville Tennessee -based environmental organization United Mountain
Defense who were traversing public land in the area of the spill
• TVA president Tom Kilgore said that, in light of the spill, the Authority would
consider switching the Kingston plant over to "dry" byproduct methods, which
would reduce the chances of another spill.

7. LEGAL ACTIONS
• On December 23, 2008 the environmental group Greenpeace asked for a criminal
investigation into the incident, focusing on whether the TVA could have prevented
the spill. On December 30, 2008 a group of landowners filed suit against the TVA
for $165 million in Tennessee state court.
• On February 4, 2009, EPA, pursuant to Executive Order 12088, and TDEC issued a
letter to TVA in which EPA provided notice to TVA that EPA considers the release
to be an unpermitted discharge of a pollutant in contravention of the Clean Water
Act.
• On May 11, 2009 "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.

8. CONCLUSION
Developing countries are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of
disaster management systems, and increasing efforts are being made to streamline
preparedness, response and recovery mechanisms at all levels. It is well known that
many developing countries, including India, are not always well- prepared to deal
with disasters. A lack of well-developed disaster management plans results in a
severe loss of human life, animal life and property, which could be saved if the
necessary mechanisms were in place. A lot needs to be done to improve the
situation, particularly in regard to livestock. This paper describes in detail, with
particular reference to India, what can be done to care for animals when natural
disasters occur. The authors review various types of natural disasters and their
impact on livestock, and outline different preparedness, response, recovery, and
mitigation strategies. The roles of different agencies, including veterinarians, are
also considered.

9. Thank You

10. Thank You