Thu
Mar 4 2010
06:44 pm
Roane County Community Advisary Group Live Blogging
By: WhitesCreek

The CAG is hearing from TVA:

TVA Safety standdown still in effect. Injured worker seriously injured but will be released from hospital soon. Other accidents and near misses triggered decision to review and train for safety considerations. Overtime and fatigue issues are a concern. 60 hours per week is OK. More than 60 hours, employee must be certified by employer as being safe. There are no hour limitations on a per day basis.

2.7 million cyds ash removed... 166 trains transported 1.5 cyds million to Al.

New rail spur to ease switching blockages on Swan Pond Road date is within a week if weather stays favorable. This will reduce blockages to coal train ingress and exit, and ash train exit and return per day. These will be 80 to 110 car trains.

Continued..

Submitted by WhitesCreek on March 4, 2010 - 7:07pm.

CAG asked for schedule of trains be other than rush hours. Noted that trains were blocking road at evening rush hour several times this week and last.

An EPA communication to TVA was issued today but not released to the public. TVA stated they will release a more user friendly version to the public. The CAG asked that the EPA communication be posted for public review. It was stated by EPA that this will be done and that the CAG will get all the information from both TVA and EPA.

TVA will have 3 D representations of the three permanent EE/CA alternatives before the CAG public meeting on march 15.

Waterline for City of Kingston is being run (10-15% complete)
Pressurized sewer line has not been started. May complete looks correct.

more from TVA:

Submitted by WhitesCreek on March 4, 2010 - 7:26pm.

Air quality questioned by CAG. Cars being coated with dust but monitors showing no action levels. Monitors are not located at road because primary wind direction is elsewhere. New TEOM monitors have not been put in place but are coming.

Fine particle lime replaced by pelletized lime to lower dust. Additional administrative measures initiated. Lime mixed with ash gives off steam.

Hazardous material designation on trucks and trains is from DOT regulations and are intended to alert emergency response personnel about the nature of the transport.

That sounds like

Submitted by revpeg on March 4, 2010 - 7:38pm.

bureaucratic B.S. to me! Code of Federal Regulations for Transportation (CFR) uses the same codes (D001, D002, etc.) as RECRA (40CFR)--hazardous waste is hazardous waste, and calling something else doesn't make it that.

Peggy Blanchard
Swan Pond resident

Photographs

Submitted by WhitesCreek on March 4, 2010 - 7:45pm.

TVA was asked to point out to their personnel that due to the First Amendment anyone may take photographs of anything they want while on public right of way and private property. Several people have been harassed including several CAG members whle doing interviews and taking photos from public right of way.

TVA has approached organizations and sent spokespersons out to present a one sided view. The CAG asked to be notified so that these organizations may be given the opportunity to hear from the CAG as to its concerns as these will be unlikely to be addressed by TVA.

TDEC

Submitted by WhitesCreek on March 4, 2010 - 8:09pm.

Monitoring questions are being taken under advisement and will be addressed.

TDEC water samples are posted that are supposed to represent a true picture of the health of the water. However, the dates when high water transported large amounts of contaminants were intentionally not sampled. The CAG asked that in publishing their data that TDEC note the high water events and that they were intentionally not sampled. It is the CAG's concern that TDEC methodology is being misrepresented and that improper conclusions are being drawn from incomplete sampling data.

This was a contentious discussion.

Perhaps I'm A Little Slow But...

Submitted by Crappieman on March 4, 2010 - 9:46pm.

...I could have sworn I read a TVA Inspector General report that detailed these very issues. TVA hasn't skipped a beat. They manipulate virtually every sample and report that is released to the public. I don't buy for a second the propoganda that states 2.7 million cyds have been removed. You can see more than that from Swan Pond Road! I still haven't seen any hard estimates of how much ash has migrated dowstream via flooding. I haven't seen any sample results of the vacuuming operations that have been ongoing for 15 months now. I want to know the contamination values of this "pollen" they have been skimming off of the water. Did TVA munipulate or influence the TWRA reports of the latest fish kill? I know for a fact that some of this fish kill included substantial numbers of stripers because they washed up on my shoreline.

CAG Public Meeting Monday March 15

Submitted by WhitesCreek on March 4, 2010 - 8:42pm.

Criminal Courtroom, Roane County Courthouse 6:30 8:30

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