Crews move to contain, vacuum fly ash in Tennessee

01/06/2009

By Candy McCampbell

The Tennessee Valley Authority has crews laying booms to contain and vacuum ash on the Emory and Clinch rivers near Kingston, Tenn., after a fly ash holding pond broke last week, releasing 5.4 million cu yds of potentially toxic material.

That amount, the equivalent of 1.1 billion gallons, covers 300 acres. About 4 million cu yds of additional ash remains in the 55-ft tall holding area.

The massive slide damaged homes and covered roads and a railroad that brings coal to the Kingston Fossil Plant, which generates electricity. The fly ash contains arsenic, lead and thallium, although it has not threatened public drinking water systems, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

O’Briens Response Management of Slidell, La., is working on the cleanup of the rivers, which feed into the Tennessee River nearby. The equipment inventory includes cranes, barges, booms, 10 vacuum trucks, track hoes, dozers, air movers, dump trucks, ATVs and light plants.

TVA is trying to contain cenospheres, the inert residue that floats on the water surface, with 4,000 ft of skimmer booms. Barge-mounted vacuum trucks are removing the matter.

TVA is also building two weir dams – one at the site, one downriver – to keep the sludge from flowing further downstream.

The slide forced the closure of the Emory River for about 4 mi near the site.

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