Atlanta
(2009-05-08)
null
The EPA, TVA and the state of Tennessee are now cleaning up the spill--a process that could take years.
But in a test case, some of that waste is now coming to Georgia, says TVA's Barbara Martocci.
"We're loading it on rail cars, and then it will be contained. They have several different means of containment. Things that are called zippers, what's called a burrito-style wrap. But it's materials of liners that are 20-30 millimeters thick."
When it arrives, those wraps will be unloaded into a landfill. So where in Georgia is the coal ash going?
"I do not know that, no."
TVA doesn't, but Jeff Cown, manager of the Solid Waste Management Program for Georgia's Environmental Protection Division, does.
"The pilot test is going to the Veolia landfill in Taylor County, Georgia-- Mauk Georgia."
Taylor County is about 100 miles south of Atlanta. Local residents call the dump "Trash Mountain." Mark Woodall of the Sierra Club says it's a really bad place to store this type of waste.
"The landfill there is located in a groundwater recharge area and it's a danger to our groundwater resources in Georgia."
That's because coal ash contains arsenic and other heavy metals. Both the state and TVA classify the waste as not hazardous. They point out the Veolia landfill has containment systems to hold the disposed ash and protect it from seeping into the groundwater supply.
Justine Thompson of the environmental watch group GreenLaw says even with those assurances, there's no way to be certain the waste is safe.
"It's frequently not disposed of properly, and can cause problems. That's really what we should be focused on. I hope that both the TVA and the state of Georgia are public about what is going on so that the public can adequately evaluate what is going to be happening in their community."
Railcars will deliver ash to Taylor County through the end of next week. From there, state and federal officials will decide whether the tests are successful, and whether to bring in more of the coal ash waste.
Jim Burress, WABE News.
© Copyright 2010, WABE
