December 2008 Coal-Ash Spill Left Giant Mess, Big Legacy
One year after dikes failed at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston coal-fired powerplant near Knoxville, Tenn., and sent coal ash spilling over 300 nearby acres and into the Emory River, contractors have removed two-thirds of the river waste and are halfway through the $1-billion cleanup. But the agency and regulatory officials are struggling with how to prevent a repeat of the Dec. 22, 2008, catastrophe.
Tom Kilgore, TVA’s CEO, told a congressional subcommittee this month that he expects cleanup and removal of all 5.4 million cu yd of ash to take until 2013. But because removal of 3 million cu yd of river ash is deemed “critical,” that work is scheduled for completion this spring.