TVA Quarterly Meeting at Huntsville, Alabama - May 7, 2015 Widows Creek to Close This Year

TVA Widows Creek (photo by TVA - Fair Use for non-profit news reporting)

Top Story for Jackson County Alabama - TVA-in-lieu-of-taxes will be negatively impacted. Excerpt from the Chattanooga Times Free Press: "The Tennessee Valley Authority will shut down the last operating unit at its oldest coal plant in Alabama by the end of the year. TVA directors voted today to shutter the Widows Creek Fossil Plant near Stevenson, Ala., which TVA began building more than 60 years ago. TVA has previously idled all but one of the eight units at Widows Creek. The only remaining operating generator, Unit 7, is scheduled to be closed by the end of the year as part of TVA's efforts to meet stricter environmental rules,"  http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2015/may/07/tva-prepares-shut-down-widows-creek-coal-plant/302963/

Al.com article - "90 jobs to be lost - The Tennessee Valley Authority will by October close the last remaining unit at its Widows Creek coal plant in Jackson County.TVA officials said the closing, which will affect about 90 jobs, is in response to new federal regulations regarding the storage and monitoring of coal ash. Widows Creek has eight units. TVA shut down six units between May 2012 and July 2013 and it closed a seventh unit last October."

http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2015/05/tva_to_close_last_unit_at_wido.html

Environmental Group Presentations at TVA Board Meeting Listening Session

TVA Presentation Slides

AGENDA for the meeting: Agenda

TVA VIDEO

Jackson County Legislative Delegation - TVA-In-Lieu-of-Tax

Jackson County Commission Meeting at North Jackson High School, Stevenson, Alabama; Jackson County Discretionary Fund Meeting

Monday was a busy schedule for the Jackson County Commission. First up was the Discretionary Funds meeting at the Legislative Delegation office at 10AM.


In the afternoon was the Jackson County Commission Meeting and Public Hearing at the North Jackson High School.

                                                 AGENDA

 

VIDEOS

 

Short Video of Public Hearing - Summary

WIDOWS CREEK - Public Hearing-TVA Requests Closure of County Road 96-VIDEO-No Comprehensive Plan on TVA's Proposed Action

 

WIDOWS CREEK VIDEO - CR 96

The TVA has submitted a request to the Jackson County Commission to vacate a section of Jackson County Rd. 96 from the bridge over Widows Creek to 1/4 mile south west of Al. Hwy 277 intersection. TVA has purchased property north of CR 96; thus, TVA owns the property on both sides of CR96. There will be a public hearing at the Jackson County Courthouse in Scottsboro, Al. on Tuesday Dec. 10, 2013 at 5PM, courtroom 1.

 

What will become of the water lines? Will the bridge support up to 15,000 heavy trucks continuously?  Is TVA going to destroy the landscape to bury coal ash? What exactly is TVA's plan in this major action which they have not fully disclosed?

 

MAP of TVA's Proposed Action- VACATE CR 96

 

 

TVA'S REQUEST TO THE JACKSON COUNTY COMMISSION

 

TVA CR96 HOUSE DEMOLITION-

NEPA NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT???

There is a significant impact when considering the full project; TVA appears to be treating citizens like mushrooms, keeping them in the dark and feeding them crap.

 

MEDIA COVERAGE of TVA's PROPOSED ACTIONS TO SHUTDOWN WIDOWS CREEK

TVA directors voted today to shut down the newest unit at Widows Creek Fossil Plant in northeast Alabama, all five units at the Colbert plant in Northwest Alabama and units 1 and 2 at the Paradise plant in western Kentucky. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/nov/14/tva-shifts-more-gas-less-goal/

 

Earlier, TVA said that about 170 would be cut at the Stevenson plant but later clarified that the exact number of cuts had not yet been determined. TVA has not yet announced the closure dates for the Colbert plant but the unit set for retirement at Widows Creek is planned for late 2014. http://blog.al.com/breaking/2013/11/tva_to_cut_more_than_300_emplo.html

The retirement of Unit 8 is scheduled for late 2014. http://www.theclarion.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7150:widows-creeks-unit-8-added-to-closure-list&catid=42:clarion-rotation-stories&Itemid=142

TVA 2009 Environmental Assessment for Removal of Gypsum Products http://www.tva.gov/environment/reports/widows_creek/widows_creek_fea_.pdf

BURNING WOOD? Association of Tennessee Valley Governments: TVA is considering building natural gas-powered generators at its Allen Fossil Plant near Memphis. Colbert Fossil plant already has the ability to burn wood waste for powering some boilers, which could allow it to become a biomass-fueled plant. http://www.atvg.org/forms/news/dec10/NewWorkIdledPlants.pdf

WIDOWS CREEK STATS http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Widows_Creek_Fossil_Plant

WIDOWS CREEK & MESOTHELIOMA http://www.mesothelioma.com/asbestos-exposure/jobsites/power-plants/widows-creek-power-plant.htm

WIDOWS CREEK-The Smoke Stack Effect http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/smokestack/polluter/18453

WIDOWS CREEK TOXIC EMISSIONS-TVA: http://www.tva.com/environment/air/widcreek.htm

Test Results from the TVA Widows Creek Hazardous Waste Spill

Fair Use Rights not for profit usage - photo by Hurricane Creek Keeper John Waltham - South Wings Aviation.

photo by G. Morgan

Update: Jan 16, 2009, Report in today's Scottsboro newspaper, The Daily Sentinel http://thedailysentinel.com/story.lasso?ewcd=a1965ed1095d412c , has a quote by Mr. Roy Light, Manager of the Scottsboro Water Sewer and Gas Board, "...All of the tests are still within water limits. We just aren't seeing any impact from the spill." Hmm, have you looked Mr. Light? Are you also going to state that the grey sludge pictured, the fly ash and cenospheres pictured are not an impact from the spill. "No impact, from the spill," does that make TVA negligence ok? Still within water limits? I take it you mean permissible EPA limits of toxic contaminants, or do you? Yes the spill was and is in the limits of the water.

The article goes on to say the TVA is returning the solid materials to holding ponds on the site. That makes me feel much better, how about those materials suspended in solution, such as the Arsenic and Thallum, is TVA going to perform a feat of miraculous proportion and return those to the pond? Also, the report in the article says, "elevated levels of metals have been found on site," "these elevated levels pose no threat to the public or employees." The statement, "elevated levels of metals pose no threat to the public or employees," is not the truth, it is typical of the Culture of Deceit on the part of the TVA's management and propaganda wing.

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The following test results of the hazardous waste spill into the Tennessee River at Widows Creek indicates elevated levels of the following hazardous materials ( The TVA describes testing samples upstream were taken 1000yards upstream from the steam plant, downstream samples were taken downstream along the shoreline 1000yards from the spill): Arsenic-upstream .0005mg/l, downstream .0010mg/l; Mercury-upstream .oo18mg/l, downstream .0019mg/l; Thallium- upstream .0008mg/l, downstream .001mg/l; Magnesium-upstream 4.02mg/l, downstream 4.96mg/l; Manganese- upstream .019mg/l, downstream .119mg/l; Zinc-upstream .012mg/l, downstream .017mg/l; Titanium- upstream .026mg/l, downstream .035mg/l; Cobalt- upstream .0005mg/l, downstream .001mg/l; Chromium- upstream .002mg/l, downstream .0023mg/l.

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Arsenic, Mercury, Thallium, Magnesium, Manganese, Zinc, Boron, Titanium, Cobalt and Chromium were all found in higher levels downstream than upstream as a result of the hazardous materials release. An elevated level of aluminum was also reported as a result of the spill in downstream sampling. Aluminum levels upstream 1.21mg/l, downstream 1.71mg/l.

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Another question apparently not answered is the ph level of the river water. Has there been a noticeable change in the ph of the water downstream from the spill?

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Interpretation of test results http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/WQ/WQ-5.html A permissible level of a hazardous material may not be a safe level.

Widows Creek Spill/Leak/Rupture Part3 Aerial Photos.

Photo by Hurricane Creek Keeper John Waltham - South Wings Aviation.

Update: Monday, Jan. 12, 2009: Reports are surfacing that more than ash may be dumped into the ash holding ponds at Widows Creek. (Freethinker1963 or anyone else that has info on petroleum products or other hazardous wastes being dumped at Widows Creek , other TVA sites or the Tennessee River in Alabama or east Tennessee contact me at arklite2go@yahoo.com .) Link listing the hazardous materials found at Widows Creek TVA Ash Ponds: http://www.environmentalintegrity.org/pubs/Widows%20Creek%20v%20%20Kingston.pdf
TVA has issued a press release today that no dangerous materials were revealed in water testing. TVA Test Results indicate high levels of metals and petroleum products: http://www.tva.gov/emergency/pdf/MICROBAC%20CERTIFICATE_WC.pdf Independent testing is being accomplished. TVA has demonstrated a high level of deceit in reporting of the spills in Harriman Tn. as well as the Widows Creek, Al. spill. More from the Enviromental Integrity Project http://www.environmentalintegrity.org/pub590.cfm
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Another hole opening up in the ash pond? Notice the dark area in the corner of the ash pond. The river is the body of water slightly visible on bottom left of photo. The Waterkeepers Alliance is conducting independent testing of this hazardous waste spill.

Photo by Hurricane Creek Keeper John Waltham - South Wings Aviation.

Cenospheres moving downstream with a heavier sludge layer evident to the right of the photo.

Mr. John Moulton of TVA Public Relations denies photo's of the ash release 17 miles downstream is evidence of the extent of the spill. Further investigation reveals TVA's level of deceit as evidenced by these photographs and the photomicrograph below. Quote from Mr. Moulton in the Tennessean article, "TVA spokesman John Moulton said he didn't believe that whatever Morgan had pictured in photographs was ash or gypsum from either the Kingston or Widows Creek spills. "Most of what was released into Widows Creek was water, to our knowledge it is not ash and it is not gypsum" Moulton said." (Story link in part 2 article below.) Evidence is provided that Mr. Moulton and the TVA's claim concerning the extent of this spill are not truthful, nor knowledgeable and is not contained.

Photo by Hurricane Creek Keeper John Waltham - South Wings Aviation.

More evidence of a subsurface ash sludge flow from Widows Creek along the north shore of the Tennessee River. Cenospheres are also seen lining the shoreline. I think this group of photos are part of damning evidence that the spill from Widows Creek is greater than originally stated by the TVA. These photos reveal the hazardous waste spilling from Widows Creek is not contained.

Photo by Hurricane Creek Keeper John Waltham - South Wings Aviation.

The sub-surface sludge waste flow in the river in front of the Widows Creek Fossil Plant.

Photo by Hurricane Creek Keeper John Waltham - South Wings Aviation.

Leakage evident in Widows Creek spilling into the river from ash pond(s).
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Many thanks to "Creekkeeper," the Hurricaine Creek and Waterkeeper Alliance for these photos. 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.

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Microscopic examination, photo below, of the material reveals it is in fact part of the ash and sludge storage from Widows Creek Fossil Plant that has spilled into the Tennessee River.

Widows Creek Spill/Leak/Rupture Part2 Ash spill not contained.

All photos this page by G. Morgan

Update: Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009. Photomicrograph of Cenospheres from the Bellefonte Landing Sample. Inspection of Public Access Areas further down river reveals a light covering of the ash waste on the north shoreline at mile marker 383, Sportsman's Club boat ramp, and mile marker 378, Goose Pond Colony point. The real problems are the dissolved hazardous waste substances involved in this spill, what you can't see is the danger. The cenospheres serve as a marker indicating the extent of the ash sludge movement.
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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.

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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

Widows Creek Spill/Leak/Rupture

(Knoxville News Sentinel photo) fair use rights for not for profit news reporting

Today a rupture/ leak/spill occured at the Widows Creek Plant. Map link: The Tennessean's Report: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090109/GREEN02/90109016

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Widows+Creek+Station&state=AL#a/maps/l:::Widows+Creek+Station:AL::US:34.9258:-85.760597:city:Jackson+County:1/m:hyb:8:34.926829:-85.760596:0:::::/io:0:::::f:EN:M:/e

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/09/second-tva-dam-breaks-at_n_156605.html

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2009/01/tva_investigating_leak_at_wido.html, http://www.tva.gov/ Local TV news out of Huntsville reports TVA has notified federal, state and local authorities. Reports indicate the "spill" has involved Widows Creek and the Tennessee River.

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No controls exist in Alabama or the TVA concerning these holding ponds, no liners are required for these holding ponds, no monitoring occurs of ground water surrounding these holding ponds. Apparently faulty engineering is a problem.