Resident: TVA has “done nothing to address our issues”

As the size of the coal ash spill in Tennessee was being revised upward dramatically, at least one resident whose land was covered by the potentially toxic waste says the Tennessee Valley Authority was doing very little to help. 

Christopher Copeland, who lives near the coal waste lagoon that ruptured last Monday, says the TVA seems to be doing much more to clear access to the facility so that new coal could be brought in than insuring the safety of residents. “They have done nothing to address our issues,” says Copeland, who is quoted in this article by Associated Press reporter Kristin Hall.

From his home, Copeland can gaze out a an expanse of coal ash and sludge that is far larger than first estimated. In the immediate aftermath of the spill from the Kingston Fossil Plant, the TVA said the tidal wave of waste totaled 1.7 million cubic yards. Yesterday, it said that 5.4 million cubic yards had spilled. That’s about a billion gallons of material that could contain hazardous concentrations of heavy metals, such as arsenic, antimony, chromium and mercury, as well as radioactive thorium and uranium. 

Meanwhile, on a special section of its Web site devoted to the spill, the TVA says it is working to help residents of the area: “A team of TVA employees and retirees is being formed to provide one point of contact for each family,” a statement on the Web site reads. “Each TVA liaison will work with one or two families to ensure their needs are met and concerns addressed.”

Perhaps they haven’t gotten to Christopher Copeland yet.

Despite research showing the potential danger from coal wastes, the TVA has been downplaying the risks posed to residents. It has issued no official warming to residents to avoid coming in contact with the ash. But a spokesperson did say she that encourages people to avoid the area. ”If they do touch it, they should wash their hands,” TVA spokesperson Barbara Martocci is quoted as saying in an AP story. 

Perhaps she hasn’t heard about  the  2007 draft report from the Environmental Protection Agency, which finds that lagoons and landfills filled with coal combustion waste may present a cancer risk that is 10,000 times greater than federal rules allow.

The Knoxville News-Sentinel reports that tests of water near the fly ash pond at the TVA power plant show elevated concentrations of  lead, thallium and other contaminants. But according to the AP, the TVA says these chemicals are filtered out by normal drinking water treatment.

Tisha Calabrese-Benton, a spokesperson with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, says no contamination has been discovered at the city of Kingston’s water treatment plant, which is downstream of the spill. Quoted in the Knoxville News-Sentinel story, she also says, ”We have no indication of acute or immediate risk based on contact with the material, as long as it is not eaten.”

Given the contaminants that have been documented to leach from coal waste impoundments, residents have legitimate concerns about possible long-term effects from the disaster. But according to Calabrese-Benter, “It is premature to speculate on long-term impacts of the material or potential exposure pathways.”

Time will tell. So far, however, we do know that the spill was more than three times worse than was first reported by the TVA.