Five years ago, the town of Kingston, Tennessee, was overwhelmed by more than a billion tons of sludge spilled from a local power plant. In the new MATTER story When the Rivers Run Black, Rachel Cernansky recounts the disaster—and explores how the government and industry have failed to stop it happening again.
The following photos of coal ash in Tennessee are © J Henry Fair, Flight provided by Southwings: www.southwings.org
Gallatin Fossil Plant, Tennessee. Ash waste ponds at coal-burning power plant. This facility is one of the power plants known to be contaminating drinking water. Tests show beryllium, cadmium, nickel, and boron exceeding safe limits in groundwater and leaching into the Cumberland River, from which many people in Nashville get their drinking water.
Johnsonville Fossil Plant, New Johnsonville, TN. Machine compresses ash waste from coal-fired power plant. Data obtained from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) show that groundwater on the island contains high levels of arsenic, aluminum, boron, cadmium, chromium, iron, lead, manganese, molybdenum, sulfate, and total dissolved solids (TDS) far above federal Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs).
Johnsonville Fossil Plant, New Johnsonville, TN. Ash waste from coal-fired power plant. Data obtained from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) show that groundwater on the island contains high levels of arsenic, aluminum, boron, cadmium, chromium, iron, lead, manganese, molybdenum, sulfate, and total dissolved solids (TDS) far above federal Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs).
Kingston TVA, Harriman, TN. Coal ash cleanup effort. On December 22, 2008, a containment pond broke releasing over one billion gallons of ash and slurry into the river, causing the evacuation of numerous houses, a large fish kill, and prompting a nationwide review of coal ash handling practices.
Kingston TVA, Harriman, TN. Large impoundment under construction at power plant for storage of gypsum waste from the desulphurization process, which involves spraying a limestone slurry mixture through the hot flue gases to capture contaminants.
The following photos of the Kingston spill were taken by Dot Griffith.
Read the full story of how the rivers of Kingston turned black at MATTER.
For more photos by J Henry Fair, visit http://www.jhenryfair.com/