TVA considering Cumberland County site for fly ash disposal

<i>Environmental Committee to meet May 6</i>

By Gary Nelson / gnelson@crossville-chronicle.com

Members of the Cumberland County Commission's Environmental Committee will meet next Wednesday to discuss the idea of allowing fly ash from the Dec. 22 TVA spill at the Kingston Fossil Plant to be used in the process of reclaiming an old strip mine on Smith Mountain Rd.

"No decisions have been made yet. This is the first discussion that will be held about the idea. We were contacted by TVA a few weeks ago because they are looking for sites to get rid of this ash. It would have to be approved by the committee and the full county commission before anything could be started. There's a process that would have to be followed with the state including public hearings," Cumberland County Mayor Brock Hill said.

The 5.4 million cubic yards of fly ash that was from a raised TVA storage pond would require a significant amount of trucks and transportation time on Smith Mountain Rd.

"I'm concerned with the vehicles that have left the roadway. It would take a lot of trucks at least 12 hours a day of transport time driving past our place here. I've seen at least 15 vehicles come off the road near here. This road is not able to handle it. It can't handle that kind of traffic. It's too sharp of a curve, it's too slick and it's off camber," said Smith Mountain Rd. resident David Cobb.

Two other sites being considered by TVA are the old Crab Orchard rock quarry and a landfill in Roane County, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported.

"We have not made any decisions yet. TVA is looking for long term location disposal sites, but nothing has been chosen yet. Anything would have to be approved by the proper regulatory agency. We have not chosen any contractors in handling it yet, either," TVA Spokesperson Gil Francis told the Chronicle.

Congressman Lincoln Davis, when contacted this week, released the following statement, "We have not been nor will we be involved in any decisions regarding the removal or storage of the fly ash from the TVA Kingston fossil plant. My involvement has been as an advocate for those who have been harmed by the TVA ash spill and that is where I will continue my efforts."

The Crossville Coal Mine is an underground thermal coal mine that is owned by Hillsborough Resources Limited out of Vancouver, B.C. The mine is at 6728 Smith Mountain Rd. in Crab Orchard. It has been in reclamation state since 2006.

"The county could collect potential fees if this mine or the quarry were used. My main concern is about the citizens. I would want to be responsive to the needs of the citizens. We would want to have improvements made on that road and proper monitoring afterwards," Hill said.

A private contractor, Wright Brothers Construction, Inc. based in Charleston, TN, also contacted Mayor Hill regarding the subject and would handle the closing of the mine if they were to get the contract with TVA.

In a press release dated March 30 and posted on its Web site, Hillsborough Resources Limited has reported it has "signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a Tennessee contracting company with respect to the sale of Crossville Coal, Inc. The sale is subject to securing a contract for fly ash disposal on the Crossville mine site. Should the sale complete, the purchaser would assume all past and future reclamation liability for the mine site, such that bonding totaling $3.15 million would eventually be returned to the corporation," the release states.

"TDEC has told me that fly ash is used frequently in reclaiming mines. It could potentially be controversial, but this is a process that's not new. It's been being done this way a long time. If TDEC says it's OK, or if it's safe then I'm comfortable with it. If they (TDEC) say it's OK, then we can't say it isn't safe," Hill said.

Wright Brothers Construction has performed many landfill closing projects in Tennessee, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky, according to its Web site.

A spokesperson from the company was not available as of press time Thursday.

The environmental committee will meet Wednesday, May 6, at 4:30 p.m. in the small courtroom of the Cumberland County Courthouse. The public is welcome to attend.

Mayor Hill said representatives from Wright Brothers Construction and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) will be on hand to answer the committee's questions and concerns.

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