By Alex Felsinger •
March 10, 2009
Over 4,000 gallons of toxic coal ash spilled into the Potomac River in Maryland and much of it is expected to reach the nation’s capital. The spill sends a message that no amount of protest ever could: coal power is dirty and needs to end.
The Maryland Department of the Environment issued a press release reporting that a pipeline between a coal power plant and its ash slurry storage facility had ruptured, spilling the toxic sludge into the North Branch Potomac River.
By Marika Collins •
January 7, 2009
Officials at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) are bracing themselves for a long-term wildlife study at the TVA spill site. The area was severely contaminated after a massive release of coal ash on Dec. 22, 2008. The spill originated from a holding pond belonging to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston Steam Plant on Watts Bar Reservoir.
A large number of fish were killed immediately following the spill which dumped 5.4 million cubic yards (more than 1 billion gallons) of toxic sludge directly into the Emory River and surrounding lands. The spill occurred when the earthen wall of a storage pond breached. The scale of the accident is much larger than initially reported.
