 Aerial photograph of site taken the day after the event | |
| Date | December 22, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Location | Kingston Fossil Plant, Kingston, Roane County, Tennessee, United States |
| Coordinates | 35°54′53″N 84°30′44″W / 35.91472°N 84.51222°W |
| Type | Coal ash spill |
| Cause | Dike breach at coal ash storage pond |
| Outcome | 1.1 billion US gal (4.2 million m3) released |
| Casualties | |
The Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill was an environmental and industrial disaster that occurred on December 22, 2008, when a dike ruptured at a coal ash pond at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane County, Tennessee, releasing 1.1 billion US gallons (4.2 million cubic metres) of coal fly ash slurry. The coal-fired power plant, located across the Clinch River from the city of Kingston, used a series of ponds to store and dewater the fly ash, a byproduct of coal combustion. The spill released a slurry of fly ash and water which traveled across the Emory River and its Swan Pond embayment onto the opposite shore, covering up to 300 acres (1.2 km2) of the surrounding land. The spill damaged multiple homes and flowed into nearby waterways including the Emory River and Clinch River, both tributaries of the Tennessee River. It was the largest industrial spill in United States history.[2][3]
The initial spill, which resulted in millions of dollars worth of property damages and rendered many properties uninhabitable, cost TVA more than $1 billion to clean up and was declared complete in 2015.[4] TVA was found liable for the spill in August 2012 by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.[5] The initial spill resulted in no injuries or deaths, but several of the employees of an engineering firm hired by TVA to clean up the spill developed illnesses, including brain cancer, lung cancer, and leukemia, as a result of exposure to the toxic coal ash, and by the 10-year anniversary of the spill, more than 30 had died.[6] In November 2018, a federal jury ruled that the contractor did not properly inform the workers about the dangers of exposure to coal ash and had failed to provide them with necessary personal protective equipment.[2] After rejecting multiple offers, workers reached a settlement with the contractor in May 2023.
- ^ Satterfield, Jamie (December 20, 2018). "TVA coal ash spill: 5 things to know on 10-year anniversary". Knoxville News-Sentinel. Knoxville, Tennessee. Archived from the original on June 16, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
Sullivanwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Bourne, Joel K. (February 19, 2019). "Coal's other dark side: Toxic ash that can poison water, destroy life and toxify people". National Geographic. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ Flessner, Dave (May 29, 2015). "TVA to auction 62 parcels in Kingston after ash spill cleanup completed". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Chattanooga, TN. Archived from the original on June 16, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
- ^ Purdom, Rebecca; Remmel, Emily (May 24, 2013). "TVA Found Liable for Massive Coal Ash Spill But Proof of Damages Remains an Obstacle". Vermont Journal of Environmental Law. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
kn10was invoked but never defined (see the help page).