COAL ASH SPILL

AT KINGSTON,
TENNESSEE
LUIS MORILLO
LUIS CAMPOZANO
KAREN QUIMÍ
ARIANNA ANCHALUISA
ELÍAS GARCÍA
 Place and time of the event

 On December 22nd 2008.

 It was caused by a coal-fired Power Plant
located across the Clinch River in the city of
Kingston in Roane county of Tennessee.
 The Roane County is made up of four cities
which are: Kingston, Harriman, Rockwood
and Oak Ridge.
Description of
the event
The fossil plant
involved in the disaster
used ponds to remove
water from fly ash,
which is a byproduct of
coal combustion and
then it was stored in
wet form in cells.
 Description of the event

 The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was the plant involved in the disaster.

 In 2008, occurred the rupture of a dike that contained the ash and the slurry traveled across the
Emory River to the opposite shore, covering up to 1.2 Km2 of the surrounding land.

 It was the largest coal-related slurry spill in United States history.

 With over 1 billion gallons spilled, the TVA spill was 100 times larger than the Exxon
Valdez spill in Alaska.
 Causes: Factors in the dike failure

 TVA cited substantial rainfall and cold

temperatures as factors in the accident.
 An inspection report in October 2008
had identified a "minor leak" in the
faulty wall.
 The coal ash was too wet, stacked too
high and placed upon a poor foundation.
Causes: Factors in the dike failure

 Tennessee uses solid waste landfill

regulations for ash ponds, even though
the substance in them — a mix of water
and fly ash— behaves more like a liquid
when it spills.
 Local residents said that the spill was not
a unique occurrence.
 Responsible

 The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned

corporation in the United States created in May 1933 to provide
navigation, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and
economic development in the Tennessee Valley.
 "We deeply regret that a retention wall for ash
containment at our Kingston Fossil Plant failed,
resulting in an ash slide and damage to nearby homes."
 Role of Authorities

The Tennessee
The environmental group Department of
EPA
GreenpeaceOn Environment and
Conservation

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 February 4, 2009, EPA and TDEC issued
Hit TVA with an $11.5 million a letter to TVA in which EPA provided notice
fine. that EPA considers the release to be an
unpermitted discharge of a pollutant.
 General Consequences

 Water samples analyzed taken at different

points of the channels affected surface, and
detected the presence of toxic at
concentrations up to 300 times higher than the
maximum set for drinking water.
 According to scientific studies it is estimated
that in 2044 may return to pre spill situation.
 BEFORE AFTER
Impacts produced
by the ash spill in
Kingston Tennessee
Originally TVA estimated
that 1.7 million cubic yards
of waste had burst through
the storage facility.
Several days later, the
estimate was increased to
over 1 billion gallons spilled.
Impacts
Produced
Soil
contamination

Effects on Fauna
 Water Pollution

 Before pouring, part of the contents

of the raft of deposition Kingston,
already poured directly or indirectly
to surface waters, as it happened with
heavy metals (arsenic, barium,
chromium, copper, nickel,
vanadium and zinc) produced
during the process of coal
combustion.
How much the damage costed?

Cleanup 1200 million

Buying properties 20 million

Penalty against TVA 11,5 million

Projects to benefit the enviroment 2 million

Total 1.233,5 million

 What could have been done in order to avoid the impacts?

 Dike C, built in the 1950s, was

supposed to have been built of
compacted earth but also
contained coal ash, which
resulted in a weak, soft
foundation that compounded
problems as TVA built
additional stages of the facility.
 Mitigation Measures: TVA REACTION

Dec 24,
Rocks and floating
barriers were deposited
Dec 30,
2008into the Clinch River
TVA requested
assistance of the Army
Corps of Engineers to
March,
Dredging began and
remove 3million cubic
2008dredge ash in Emory 2009 yards of ash.
River.
Mitigation Measures: TVA REACTION

 TVA pledged $43 million in support to

Roane County, $32 million of which has
been invested at nine area schools.
 TVA bought 180 properties and 960 acres
from private landowners in the wake of the
spill.
 The utility built a new 240-acre landfill to
replace the one that failed.
 Contingency Plan

Within the 24 hours after the impact:

 Several rocks and floating barriers were installed
on nearby rivers to catch floating cenospheres, a
valuable component of the ash used to make
manufactured goods.
 Construction of an underground dam to keep
settled ash from moving downstream was 1/5
completed.
 BUT… Was it effective or not?

 Hundreds of fish were floating dead downstream from the plant.

 Concern of residents:

“What happens if this liquid dries out?”

 In 2015, a test of river water near the spill

showed elevated levels of heavy metals.
 The spill triggered a debate over
whether coal ash should be regulated as
a hazardous material.
 Who was in charge to cover
the expenses of the impact?

 TVA cover all of the expenses of

the impact.
Cleaning-up
Properties purchasing
Legal action
Environmental studies
10-year environmental monitoring
Are the consequences still present now-a-
days?

 In August 2014, the case came to a

conclusion with TVA's payment of $27.8
million to settle the legal action.
 (2014) Testing of river water near the spill
showed elevated levels of lead and
thallium, which can cause birth defects
and nervous and reproductive system
disorders, as well as high levels of arsenic.
Are the consequences still present now-a-
days?

 TVA’s response:
“You’re not going to be endangered by touching the ash material,”
said Barbara Martocci, a spokeswoman for the T.V.A. “You’d have to
eat it. You have to get it in your body.”

 Itwas stipulated that the project would be finished in

2015, considering the cleaning up of the spill and the
restore of the area.
 Did the responsible ones act/behave according to
the law?

 On May 11, 2009 TVA and the Environmental Protection

Agency announced an order and an agreement that
documents the relationship between TVA and EPA in the
management of cleaning by the Kingston ash spill, and
also ensures that TVA shall comply with all federal laws
and requirements State of the environment for the
restoration of the affected areas.
 Did the responsible ones act/behave according to
the law?

 Over
3.5 million cubic yards were removed in a 12-month period, with
85% being removed in a 10-month time frame.
 Conclusion

 The thermoelectric power of Kingstown accident will

have a strong environmental and economic impact
over 40 years, all this by the deterioration in the
conditions of security of the raft of waste.

 The reuse of waste is a solution to reduce the

problems of rafts in the US, through the use of these
as building materials.
 Conclusion

 The spill prompted TVA and other utilities

across the nation to re-evaluate how they
store coal ash.

 Although the Coal Ash Association does not support EPA's proposal to classify coal
ash as a hazardous material, they consider that better regulation is needed.
 TVA is required to monitor wildlife for the next 30 years.
THANK YOU