All photos this page by G. Morgan
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Update: Widows Creek Photos: Sunday, Jan 11, 2008 Link to photo's posted by "Creekkeeper," many thanks to you for this link. http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll297/creekkeeper_2008/Widow%20Creek%20Ash%20Spill/ The extent of the spill is evident in the aerial photos. It is also evident that the extent of the hazardous waste sludge and ash release is greater than what the TVA has stated. Aerial photos reveal a large subsurface sludge mass progressing downstream. Is ash still spilling into the river? It appears there are other suspicious dark areas in the ash pits, the spill is not contained and is spilling into the river at the time of the photos.
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Content of Coal Ash, EPA Link, http://www.epa.gov/rpdweb00/tenorm/coalandcoalash.html note that coal ash is radioactive. The real question, how much sludge and ash were spilled into Widows Creek and the Tennessee River? Gypsum was not the only waste product released in this spill. Gypsum in the scrubbers catch the real nasty pollutants from the combustion process.
Article from the Tenneessean: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090110/GREEN02/901100348
In areas where the river slows in small coves or inlets the ashen sludge varies from light to heavy. The floating gray-ash color substances are cenospheres, they are a byproduct of coal combustion at power plants. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenosphere
The water out from the shoreline for about 4ft is affected. The water sub-surface has an ashen hue for approximately 10ft beyond the shore.
In this area the water sub-surface has tints of gray for 12-15 ft out from the shore. Mr. Moulton of the TVA says it isn't ash or gypsum, see the Tennessean article below, I say he is wrong and that he is being intentionally deceitful. What does he think it is, TVA lies spilling out of Knoxville?
Sample of Water taken at Bellefonte Landing, approximately 1/2 mile downstream from the cooling water intake of the proposed Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant. The particles appear to be spherical, silvery ash like. They are cenospheres.
A heavy silvery sludge coats the north shoreline of the Tennessee River at Bellefonte Landing. Bellefonte Landing is approximately 17 miles down river from Widows Creek Steam Plant. (Widows Creek mile marker is 407, Bellefonte is 390)
The TVA has reported the spill is contained, not true as evidenced by these photos. The north shore of the river is coated with the silvery, ashen sludge for several miles down stream.
Update: TVA official denies substance in photos is part of a spill from Widows Creek. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090109/GREEN02/90109016 Apparently John Moulton of the TVA has made statements which are part of the ever growing deceit of the TVA. Here are the pictures, I have the sample, Mr. Moulton may certainly drive to the site as can anyone else. How can Mr. Moulton say it isn't part of the spill when he hasn't examined the sludge on the north shoreline? Does he know something else is leaking from the TVA or some other polluting source, it appears he is speaking without knowing the facts or without examining the downstream substance?
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Mr. Moulton is TVA's PR rep in Knoxville, from TVA 's site: Media Contact John Moulton, Knoxville, (865) 632-8048 TVA News Bureau, Knoxville, (865) 632-6000
6 comments:
The gypsum part may be more of a lie of omission- I did some work at Widow's Creek two years ago, and during the site tour, they mentioned that some TVA plants sell their gypsum to drywall companies, but Widow's Creek doesn't because the plant is so old, all of their gypsum is contaminated with fly ash- so it's possible that it really did leak from a gypsum pond. One that's about 20% coal ash.
Indy
Thank you for your comment. Personally I'm far more concerned about TVA's culture of deceit in incidences such as this. It is obvious that TVA's executives put forward a line supportive of profit in business rather than public safety and accurate problem identification and their correction. TVA's Public Relations executives and personnel send out propaganda supportive of poor decision making and deceitful management practices of their superiors.
It is about trust of this government entity. After problem events and examination of official records of the TVA concerning complaints of retaliatory actions of management toward employees who report safety violations, racial and sexual discrimination, nuclear incidents reported to the NRC, EEOC and TVA's IG it is folly and a poor decision if we as a people of Jackson County TRUST the TVA to be truthful and supportive of safety in the operation of nuclear reactors for power production. The TVA executive's culture of deceit is not supportive of nuclear security nor safety. It is called Personal Reliability, TVA, in my eyes, fails to make the grade. Their goal is profit and individual maintenance of their position; safety and frugal, accountable management is not their priority.
Hopefully these incidences will result in a concerted effort of meaningful Congressional oversight. Currently there is no meaningful oversight of the TVA.
TVA should be sold, it is a socialist organization who will never be accountable to anyone. TVA has instilled in local government dependancy for their in lieu of tax finances.
I have been there and documented it with photos. UMD went in last night on private property and took samples to be sent to an independent lab. Now would not be a good time for ADEM to use the "investigation under way" excuse for not being open and transparent.
My Report.
Widow Creek is nothing in comparison to Kingston in terms of bulk but still the same in that it is another TVA failure.
TVA claims it was a leaky pipe. I offer you my pictures and you can decide.
They also claimed it was contained in Willow Creek. Not! I saw it well out in the Tennessee.
This same facility was fined by ADEM in recent months, $100,000.00 for similar discharges. Tom Kilgore told the senate hearing committee YESTERDAY that all TVA ponds and dams had been inspected and were found to be safe.
http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll297/creekkeeper_2008/Widow%20Creek%20Ash%20Spill/
The spill was not the same as Kingston. There was no dam failure. From the air it appears that there was some sort of pipe in the middle of the ash / gypsum pond buried deep in the waste material. It appears as a hole in the photos. In the hi-res images, I can blow them up and see an opening in bottom of the hole that looks like an open pipe. I do not know the gypsum process so I am not sure of it's purpose. NY-Times reporter told me that TVA stated that there were some old pipes under there that were not in use any more. (?)
Does anyone have a clue why this gaping hole would be there unless it is some sort of failed pipe. Look closely at the photos of slope between the upper and lower pond. There is a
drain pipe of some sort there that is in bad repair. Somehow the sludge from the top pond wound up in the lower pond causing it to over top the outer wall where it flowed quite freely into Widow Creek. The gray sludge can be seen in the photos flowing down the bank and into the creek. There is an ash / gypsum layer all around the banks and flowing down the creek into the Tennessee River and can be seen at least 1.5 miles downstream.
There is a mix-line of very turbid water leaving Widow Creek and entering the Tennessee. The Tennessee was fairly turbid above the site but it was clearly creating a line of contaminated water in the river.
The sediment basin that over-topped was supposed to act as a retention pond. It is now full of waste and not able to serve that capacity any longer. There is a pipe that leaves it and drains directly into Widow Creek. This should be considered a violation of the permit.
Many problems could be seen and need to be addressed but the biggest thing that struck me was the size of this thing. The ash pond for Widow Creek PLant is larger than Kingston and exactly the same engineering.
The light was bad so the photos are not the best but will tell the story I think.
I will organize them and caption some tomorrow. I have to sleep now.
Coal is Dirty, Dangerous, and Depleting.
John L. Wathen
Hurricane Creekkeeper,
Friends of Hurricane Creek
www.hurricanecreek.org
Members of
WATERKEEPER Alliance
www.waterkeeper.org
Who has the authority to say someone else
is not being a good steward of the environment
Anyone who notices
In studying my photos, I came upon what looks like another potential "hole" or weak point. This one is in the ash pond across the creek from the gypsum plant.
It is now labeled "Another hole" in the photobucket album.
http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll297/creekkeeper_2008/Widow%20Creek%20Ash%20Spill/
I just did a cut-out and blow-up of the hole in question. It is directly on the riverbank and looks as if it has the potential for another disaster. I have spoken with the ADEM attorney, John Hagood. Mr. Hagood has indicated that he will be in touch very soon to discuss this. ADEM has never been a stellar enforcement agency but if it is obvious and enough people know about it, ADEM will inspect. I will call John Hagood on Mon. if I do not hear from him.
In the mean time, I am scheduling another flight as soon as weather allows to closely photograph the new hole and surrounding surfaces of all impoundments. Circulate my photos far and wide. ADEM and TVA must be put on notice that we will crucify them in the media if this is mishandled.
This pond holds more material than Kingston with the exact same engineering. Engineered to fail!
John L. Wathen
Hurricane Creekkeeper,
Friends of Hurricane Creek
www.hurricanecreek.org
Members of
WATERKEEPER Alliance
www.waterkeeper.org
Who has the authority to say someone else
is not being a good steward of the environment
Anyone who notices
[IMG]http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll297/creekkeeper_2008/Widow%20Creek%20Ash%20Spill/_MG_4033-1.jpg[/IMG]
THE NEW HOLE?
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