The Tennessee Valley Authority is considering new storage methods for Coal Combustion Residuals produced at its Cumberland Fossil Plant. TVA is seeking public input on plans proposed in their Environmental Impact Statement.
The Stewart County, Tennessee facility is looking at a number of alternatives, including a new dry storage landfill for future CCRs produced at the plant, closing the bottom ash and main ash ponds on site and building a dewatering facility to remove moisture from the bottom ash stream.
TVA Spokesman Scott Brooks says the decision to move away from wet storage was determined in 2009.
“When Ash is produced at a coal plant it is moved and stored with as much liquid as necessary but after the incident at Kingston Fossil Plant in 2008, where some of the wet coal ash spilled out of a dyke,” said Brooks.
TVA provided electricity to more than 205,000 households in western and central Kentucky in 2015. The projects proposed at the Cumberland site supports TVA’s goal to eliminate wet handling of CCR storage across its system while meeting state and federal requirements including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s CCR Rule.
The first public open house is December 12th at the Freedom Point Events Center at Liberty Park in Clarksville from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. The public comment period will remain open through Jan. 6, 2017.
Documents and a comment form can be found on-line at www.tva.gov/nepa. Comments can also be addressed to Ashley Pilakowski at 400 West Summit Hill Drive, WT 11D-K, Knoxville, TN 37902, or emailed to aapilakowski@tva.gov. All comments received, including names and addresses, will become part of the project administrative record and will be available for public inspection.
