Coal Ash Buries Tennessee River Tribs; Creekkeeper Stymied By Security

On December 22nd in the city of Kingston, Tennessee, a 40-acre coal ash holding pond at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Fossil Power Plant broke, spilling 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash into the Emory and Clinch Rivers. The tidal wave of coal ash sludge destroyed three houses and has affected at least 300 acres of Roane County land.

At this point it is difficult to determine the full extent of this environmental disaster. Mercury, cadmium, lead, nickel, selenium and arsenic may be present in coal ash and can have both short and long term effects on human and ecosystem health. Therefore, health hazards depend on the type and amount of a particular metal in the coal ash. Water tests of private wells and springs show high levels of arsenic; one sample was higher than the maximum level allowed for drinking water. TVA said that municipal water was safe to drink but told residents using private wells to stop drinking their water until test results are processed.

Hurricane Creekkeeper John L. Wathen and his brave staff have been on the ground trying to document this disaster and help wherever possible. Unlike in previous disasters, where emergency personnel utilized Creekkeeper in cleanup and rescue operations, the Creekkeeper crew was far from welcomed on the scene. Creekkeeper staff were harassed and ticketed by TVA security. In an Waterkeeper Alliance email, Wathen wrote, "We were threatened with arrest for delivering water to residents in the area.".

The Kingston Fossil Power Plant serves 700,000 people in Tennessee and neighboring states. Each year 120 million tons of coal ash accumulates in holding ponds in order to satisfy this demand for electric power. A small percentage of the coal ash can be used in cement and other building materials but it is suspected that the affected clay dike could no longer hold the growing pile of coal ash that towered 55 feet in height.

Download a radio interview on the disaster with Hurricane Creekkeeper John Wathen:
http://server2.whiterosesociety.org/content/kincaid/KincaidShow-(29-12-2008).mp3

For more information please see the articles below:
Coal Ash Spill Revives Issue of Its Hazards
The Associated Press: Spill May Have Permently Alterned Tennessee Community
NPR.org: Coal May Pose Health Hazard

Photos Taken From http://unitedmountaindefense.org/

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Mother Earth's Most Wanted (according to the EPA)

The government is starting a different kind of most-wanted list - for environmental fugitives accused of assaulting nature. These fugitives allegedly smuggled chemicals that eat away the Earth's protective ozone layer, dumped hazardous waste into oceans and rivers and trafficked in polluting cars. And now the government wants help in tracking them down.

In its own version of the FBI most-wanted list, and the first to focus on environmental crimes, the Environmental Protection Agency is unveiling a roster of 23 fugitives, complete with mug shots and descriptions of the charges on its Web site at www.epa.gov/fugitives.

A top EPA enforcement official said the people on the list represent the "brazen universe of people that are evading the law." Many face years in prison and some charges could result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. "They are charged with environmental crimes, and they should be brought before the criminal justice system and have their day in court," said Pete Rosenberg, a director in the agency's criminal enforcement division.