TVA and The Kingston Ash Spill Environmental Disaster By: Tikedra Kellum
Table of Content Corporate Snapshot History Kingston Ash spill Plan of Action Causes Consequences Questions
Corporate Snapshot Name: Tennessee Valley Authority Industry: Utilities Sales Revenue: $11.2 Billion Power Sales: 165 Billion kwh Employees: 12, 762 Provides: 9 million people in parts of seven southeastern states
Seven Southeastern States
History 1930s- Tennessee Valley Authority was established 1940s- 12 hydroelectric projects and a steam plant under construction at the same time 1950s- Congress passed legislation making TVA power system self-financing 1960s- Began building nuclear plants 1970s- International oil embargo
History Continue 1980s- TVA cancelled several nuclear plants 1990s- cut operating cost by 800 million to get ready for competition and unveiled a new clean air strategy. 2000s- launched the green power switch program the Kingston Ash Spill
What is the Kingston Ash Spill? December 22, 2008 at 1 am Ash dike ruptured at an 84-acre solid waste containment area 5.4 million cubic yards of coal fly ash slurry was released
Kingston Ash Spill cont.. Raveled across the Emory River and its Swan Pond embayment Covering up to 300 acres of the surrounding land, damaging homes and flowing up and down stream in nearby waterways Largest fly ash release in United States history
Ash spill 2008 AerialLandscape
Plan of Action Contain release and minimize downstream migration Assist TDEC in determining the cause of the dike failure Support TDEC assessment of current and future impacts of release
Plan of Action cont.. Develop and implement Corrective Action Plan Restore natural resources damaged by the release Assume financial responsibility for TDEC expenses Review all TVA coal ash impoundments in Tennessee
Causes A failure to implement recommend correction actions The lack of policies and procedures Poor maintenance The lack of specialized training Multiple organizational structure changes Inadequate communication A failure to follow engineering best practices
TVA’s Consequences Paid $11.5 million in penalties in response to the coal ash release for violations of the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act and the Tennessee Solid Waste Disposal Act The containment cell will cost $175 million Paid Roane county $4 million Total cleanup cost in the vicinity of $1.1 billion
Then and Now
Questions?