Fri
Jan 9 2009
01:10 pm
BREAKING: TVA retention pond spill at Widows Creek
By: R. Neal

A retaining pond has ruptured at TVA's Widows Creek coal-fired power plant in Alabama. TVA says it is contained, but some material reached Widows Creek.

UPDATE: The Chattanooga Times Free Press says it was a leak from a gypsum pond, where limestone used in the SO2 scrubbing process is stored, processed, and sold for wallboard.

UPDATE: TVA Press Release

LEAK AT WIDOWS CREEK GYPSUM CONTAINMENT
January 9, 2009 12:10 PM

TVA is investigating a leak from the gypsum pond at Widows Creek Fossil Plant in Stevenson, Alabama, that was discovered before 6 a.m. on Friday, January 9. The leak has stopped.

The leak from the gypsum pond flowed into an adjacent settling pond. Some material overflowed into Widows Creek, although most of the leakage remained in the settling pond. TVA has notified appropriate federal and state authorities.

TVA will perform temporary repairs to the pond.

Gypsum ponds hold limestone spray from TVA’s scrubbers that clean sulfur dioxide (SO2) from coal-plant emissions. Gypsum contains calcium sulfate, which is commonly used in drywall, a commercially sold construction material.

Topics:
gonzone's picture

correction

Submitted by gonzone on Fri, 2009/01/09 - 1:16pm.

Not fly ash, but gypsum, according to the press release.

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
Hunter S. Thompson

R. Neal's picture

Yes, just updated that.

Submitted by R. Neal on Fri, 2009/01/09 - 1:17pm.

Yes, just updated that. More/better info in the Chattanooga paper.

gonzone's picture

You are fast

Submitted by gonzone on Fri, 2009/01/09 - 1:19pm.

Faster than a speeding bullet, etc. blah, blah, blah. :-)

Good work.

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
Hunter S. Thompson

rikki's picture

I wonder whether there was a

Submitted by rikki on Fri, 2009/01/09 - 1:27pm.

I wonder whether there was a freeze in Stevenson overnight.

R. Neal's picture

I wonder whether there was a

Submitted by R. Neal on Fri, 2009/01/09 - 1:29pm.

I wonder whether there was a freeze in Stevenson overnight.

Guess we're still waiting for Gil Francis to get on the scene and report to find out.

rocketsquirrel's picture

I bet there's a sale on

Submitted by rocketsquirrel on Fri, 2009/01/09 - 1:31pm.

I bet there's a sale on frozen fish in Alabama today.

rikki's picture

waiting for Gil Francis TVA

Submitted by rikki on Fri, 2009/01/09 - 1:42pm.

waiting for Gil Francis

TVA was warned last winter that saturated sludge and freezing temperatures can lead to ruptures, so the problem obviously is that environmentalists have been misleading about all this global warming stuff. TVA execs thought there wouldn't be any freezing temperatures anymore. "The environmental community ensured us we had this winter thing licked!"

sugarfatpie's picture

Clean coal is a lie.

Submitted by sugarfatpie on Fri, 2009/01/09 - 1:35pm.

Lets keep holding TVA's and Obama's feet to the fire on the complete and utter fantasy that is "clean coal".

-Sugarfatpie (AKA Alex Pulsipher)

"X-Rays are a hoax."-Lord Kelvin

Anonymously Nine's picture

Just just record rain and freezing and thawing...

Submitted by Anonymously Nine (not verified) on Fri, 2009/01/09 - 2:06pm.

At what point should cameras and security personnel be placed at all these TVA ponds?

This happened at 6 a.m.? The big one in Kingston was at 1:00 a.m.. I guess daytime is inconvenient for these disasters.

Is this the work of Dr. Evil?

(link...)

Probably just record rain and freezing and thawing. TVA will tell us.

Joe328's picture

Are there any investigative

Submitted by Joe328 on Sat, 2009/01/10 - 9:13am.

Are there any investigative journalist left in East Tennessee? It's not a gypsum pond, it's a fly ash pond the same product that spilled at Kingston. Fly ash is used to make gypsum, concrete, blocks, and a few other products. It's like saying a chlorine gas cloud is just potable water vapors.

Our local journalist are taking the news release from TVA and not investigating further. It's the easy work for the journalist but the news is usually biased.

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

TN Progressive

TN Politics

Knox TN Today

Local TV News

News Sentinel

    State News

    Wire Reports

    Lost Medicaid Funding

    To date, the failure to expand Medicaid/TennCare has cost the State of Tennessee ? in lost federal funding. (Source)

    Search and Archives