TOP STORY
A coalition of 109 organizations is pushing back against Congressmen who do not want to regulate the disposal of coal combustion waste. Please call your Congressperson and ask him/her not to sign on to letters sponsored by industry that seek weak CCW ”guidelines” that skimp on environmental protections.
Preliminary analyses of ash, water, sediments, and fish tissues collected near the spill site 18 days following the dike failure revealed the following:
1) the total recoverable toxic elements arsenic, barium, cadmium, lead, and selenium in water exceeded protective drinking water and/or aquatic life criteria levels;
2) ash and ash-laden river sediments had arsenic levels that exceeded the EPA removal limits; selenium levels increased dramatically downstream of the spill;
3) selenium levels in fish were at and beyond the thresholds of toxicity for reproduction and growth;
4) fish suffered internal and external impacts from the spill, with abnormal changes to gills in particular;
5) detailed analysis of floating ash particles (cenospheres) found that approximately 10% of these particles contain an iron oxide coating that may be transporting arsenic into water.
PRESS RELEASE - [PDF]
FINAL SAMPLING REPORT - [PDF]
The method TVA and others are using to test and analyze the toxicity of the coal ash splayed through a neighborhood, fields and streams beside TVA's Kingston power plant can't adequately determine the potential risk, experts say.
The levels could be higher — or lower — than the tests show. [Full story on Tennessee Green]
-- TVA Coal Ash Spill by the numbers [Knoxnews article]
On January 8th and 9th, staff from the Tennessee Aquarium, scientists from Appalachian State University and the Watauga Riverkeeper collected water and fish samples from the Emory River. Below is a video compilation with voice-over commentary.
<--- View the video
Article about the preliminary results (1-14-09)
United Mountain Defense also made a sampling trip on the Emory River on January 8, read their report.
MORE TOP STORIES
New York Photographer Antrim Caskey releases poignant images from the Kingston coal accident. At left, DeAnna Copeland holds on photo of what her back yard used to look like before the Kingston Fossil Plant coal sludge spill. View all of Antrim's pics
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Life on Swan Pond after the TVA: A victim of the TVA spill starts a personal blog
The History of Coal Waste: Coal byproducts contaminate hundreds of sites in US
Independent fish sampling results find high levels of toxic chemicals in Kingston, TN fly ash deposits and Emory River fish (5-18-09)
Additional tests 18 days following the disaster find high levels of toxic
chemicals in Kingston, TN fly ash deposits and Emory River fish.Press release (pdf) • View the results (pdf)
Preliminary independent tests find high levels of toxic chemicals in Harriman TN fly ash deposits (1-1-09)
Full story • View the results (pdf) • Map of testing sites
Video interview with ASU professors part 1 and part 2Waterkeepers, Appalachian Voices Take Samples from Ground Zero (12-27-08)
Full Story • Raw Video Footage • Compiled Video Footage
Photos by Hurricane Creekkeeper John Wathen
Photos by Watauga Riverkeeper Donna Lisenby and Sandra Diaz
Appalachian Voices • Coal River Mountain Watch • Heartwood • Keeper of the Mountains • Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition • Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment • Sierra Club Environmental Justice
Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards • SouthWings • Stay Project • West Virginia Highlands Conservancy
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