TVA Confirms 2nd Coal Ash Spill in Alabama

The Tennessee Valley Authority confirms that there has been a second coal ash spill at one of their utility facilities. The spill occurred on January 9, 2009 at the TVA facility in Stevenson, Alabama. The spill comes only days after the disastrous Kingston, TN spill on December 22, which “dumped 5.4 million cubic yards of sludge across 400 acres, burying homes, buildings, and heavy equipment.”

In an article published on MSNBC online, Adam Snyder, executive director of Conservation Alabama was quoted saying, “For the second time in less than one month, the citizens served by the Tennessee Valley Authority have been unnecessarily exposed to a multitude of health risks due to a failure of a coal ash pond…This unfortunate incident highlights TVA’s over-reliance on coal for energy production and a lack of adequate health safety standards and enforcement. Conservation Alabama calls on Congress, TVA, and EPA to not only conduct an exhaustive evaluation of its current standards, but also to put into action whatever means necessary to ensure that the citizens of Alabama are not put in harm’s way again.”

In South Carolina, there are 9 coal ash ponds and landfills spread throughout the state. These toxic dumps are unregulated and are liable to contaminate ground water and spill into rivers and other waterways. For a map of the 9 locations in Charleston, click here.