TVA Dredges Fly Ash from River

04/15/2009

By Candy McCampbell

The Tennessee Valley Authority, which dumped about 3 million cu yds of fly ash into the Emory River after a massive spill in December, has started dredging the sludge that is blocking about 4 mi of the river channel.

The dredging operation is the first major step in cleaning up the 5.4 million cu yds of fly ash that spilled into the river, covered roads and a railroad and damaged houses after a breach at the Kingston Fossil Plant in East Tennessee.

TVA, the nation’s largest public utility, has estimated the cleanup tab at between $525 million and $850 million.

Anda Ray, TVA environmental executive, called the dredging start a “milestone” in the cleanup, which is being monitored closely by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Both agencies must approve any action TVA takes.

A hydraulic dredge is pumping ash from the river through a pipe back to a field at the plant. But it can only hold about 200,000 cu yds of the sludge and is not a permanent disposal site.

TVA does not yet have approval for long-term disposal and storage of the fly ash, which is created from burning coal to produce power.

Rocks, trees and large stones forced into the river during the spill are being removed by a mechanical dredge before the hydraulic dredge moves in to remove the ash sludge.

TVA officials say the first 60 days of dredging will indicate how to move forward from there. They will then turn the dredging operation over to a private contractor.

They have not set a timetable on getting all the ash sludge removed from the Emory, which has been closed to navigation since the spill.

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