From the latest "Pollution report" (#88) from the EPA Kingston site (link...)
"NOTE: Approximately 3 inches of rain overnight increased water velocity at the Oakdale gauge on the Emory River to near 56,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). Storm event sampling will occur as soon as is safely possible. Nature and Extent mapping will be revisited. Heavy rain has kept ash from becoming airborne."

Non-Time Critical Removal Action Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (link...)
I don't see anything about restoring land to previous use.
And it looks like TVA thinks they are 2/3rds of the way home.
By the way, TVA thinks the LTRC has the power to set priorities.
Don't let TVA get away with this!

I wrote to the person who "undiid" the info on the CAG from Wikipedia
Here is their reply.
(The person who put the info in didn't use a valid email, so I thought I'd post here so they can repost it in a paraphrased kind of way...)

"RE Wikipedia email Kingston community action Group
RE: Wikipedia e-mail Kingston community action Group
Friday, October 2, 2009 6:15:37 AM
From: Brian Stansberry

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I removed it because it was copy-pasted from the group's website. Copy-pasting is a form of plagiarism.

See: (link...)

________________________________

From: SFCharlie [
Sent: Thu 10/1/2009 6:26 PM
To: Brian Stansberry
Subject: Wikipedia e-mail Kingston community action Group

Why was the information about the Kingston Community action group removed?
What do you feel is the correct way to include this information?
Thanks,
Respectfully,
SFCharlie"

Randy Ellis's "Granny" has fallen. I know from my experiances after my father's fall that it is often the care giver as well as the fallen that need prayers.
"God we pray that you will comfort Granny and that you will guide her caregivers and hold their hand as they walk in your ways" Ahmen

When's the next CAG meeting?
Doesn't seem to be posted on the CAG website.

Test Embankment Work Plan
This is apparently the first public document (link...) on the "Test dredge cell" mentioned in passing on the EPA site
"Ash being hauled to dredge cell test area.
o Volume stored in dredge cell test area: 80,125 cys." (link...) and seen next to the remains of the old dredge cell 1 in the helicopter photos (link...) .
I found it by following a new link on the TVA Kingston recovery page to "Administrative Record Documents Available for Public Review and Comment" (link...) .
Happy digging

EPA's Dannena Bowman has been working hard to make their Kingston TVA website (link...) easier to use.
From the home page, she's put the photos, facts, documents, and the calendar in clickable tabs across the top of the page.
She's included before and after photos or slideshows of the progress for Dredging, Excavation, Disposal, Productivity, Nature and Extent (depth of ash in the river, covers 18 river miles), the Calendar, and others. Much of the pictures, etc. haven't been readily available 'till now.
Lisa, I would like to know how the ash depth info on the Nature and Extent tab compares with the reality in your cove.
I know there is still a long way to go to make it right, but it is heartening to see the progress, and the oversight.
Thank you all for letting the rest of the world know what's happening in Roane County, and of course for the photos of her beauty.
Respectfully,
Charlie

"Circus a treat for all ages"
Ya'll letin' me down… LOL
Well I finally got my paper copy of the August 17-18 RCN in the snail mail, and low and behold, the Circus had come to Rockwood and I missed it…
Jo Smith's Sno-Cone is precious.
I think all of you are wonderful,
Charlie

Duke University researchers have confirmed what many people in Kingston, Tenn., already knew
Another reason to ditch coal: the ash (link...)
Duke study finds easily inhalable ash bits carry most toxicity (link...)

So are you really under a flood watch?
On NBC's Today show, Al Roker claimed you were, showing a map of most of the Appalachians.

Sound familiar? "'Green goo' revealed toxic leak at WV zinc plant" (link...)
This is why I worry about the people of Roane County owning an ashfill...

Is the TVA Inspector General a kook?
'U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., R-Knoxville, said the Kingston accident was "a terrible thing" but that TVA has done "everything within reason that could be done" to clean up the spill site.' (link...)
(Needed the EPA to bring them to "reason".)
'He urged lawmakers to disregard criticism from groups who have "a vested monetary interest" in the situation, such as contractors and environmental groups that he said are using the disaster to raise contributions for their organizations.'
(Don't those impacted have a vested interest, as does TVA? Didn't United Mountain Defense deliver water and other services that TVA promised and failed to provide?)
'"You can never satisfy the extremists or the kooks in any situation," Duncan said. "There will be some people that we will never satisfy if we spent the entire federal budget on this problem. But we have to be reasonable, and we have to have a little balance and common sense in this situation."'
(Isn't the Question Federal oversight not spending?)
Dare I invite you to write Rep. Duncan and 'splain it to 'em?

I am attaching a text file of the TVA IG's report. The Microsoft word document was too big to load correctly. So was the Rich Text Format. Here is a doc of page 5.

A post on lifeonswanpond's blog (link...) moved me to make some overlays. (link...) The dot for the Adkisson cemetery seems to be at the equipment park on what EPA is calling the Berkshire slough.
In San Francisco, there are breakwaters in the ocean made of headstones of people who either did not have families or whose families did not have the money to move them to new cemeteries southwest of the city. The lands are now parks or in one case a college campus. I was startled to see that this was acceptable practice. I have seen documentation of "moved" cemeteries while researching TVA's history. I don't know what happened to the bodies in either case. I am surprised to see TVA behaving much as it did the thirties. Back then, there was cause for eminent domain to build the lakes, but today I would hope for them to behave in a more sensitive way. I am surprised to see the equipment park where the map places the cemetery. It is hard to imagine that the grave makers are protected under the crushed stone and will be restored after the stone is removed. I suppose it is possible that the dot on the map is only an approximate location and the grove of trees is where the cemetery is.
TVA Cultural Resources: Cemeteries Relocated by TVA (link...)
TVA Cemetery Relocation (link...)

I'm looking for photos that show the south end of the Swan Pond dike near the plant entrance flowing over Swan Pond road. The sooner after the spill the better. (Before TVA cleared away the evidence.) TVA had an iconic photo on their site showing the railroad crossing sign and the dike, grass and all ,covering Swan Pond Rd and the track, but I can no longer find that photo set. I don't blame them for wanting to focus on the recovery; I just didn't have the sense to archive it when it was available…)
If someone has a film photo, is there someone on this site who could scan it for them?
Thank you all very much.

TVA publishes a report that portrays them as completely irresponsible with regard to the Kingston coal ash spill. What are they up to? Is it like a judo artist who stops opposing their adversary, using the momentum of their opponents attack to throw him? Why did they put so much energy into announcing the report? Instead of burying it on a Friday afternoon, they announced midweek. They featured it in the banner of their Kingston Recovery page. They even have a video on their website. Now that they have issued their confession, will we all give up trying to blame them and forget about it? Are they seeking immunity, not for the rate payers, but for the employees?
They have done a lot of big things, dredging the river, shipping the ash out of town, negotiating with property owners, setting up a health care plan. There are some things small in money and big in spirit that they could do. Replacing ash covered personal property of renters. What else?
Are we to just forget about it 'till the civil suit trials? They still keep their compensation criteria secret. They still offer property owners less that replacement value. They still require home owners to negotiate without access to legal counsel. They still require giving up recourse for health problems as a condition of property settlements. They used to ask them to sign under duress of 20 hour a day dredging or being run over by hundreds of trucks a day.
So, what's next?

REMARKS BY TOM KILGORE AT TVA BOARD MEETING (link...)

Although I have only read the first half of it, this is very poignant reading…
A REPORT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY REGARDING KINGSTON FACTUAL FINDINGS (link...)
…addresses management issues, lack of training, fragmented responsibilities, priorities production vs. safety, etc.

Do you ever wonder what all that Alphabet soup in the EPA OSC reports (link...) means?
EPA OSC CIC START ROC USACE ERT?
Here is a list: (link...)
I still don't know exactly what a "Regional Oversight Contract" is, but apparently, it is some kind of ongoing contract with oversight from EPA Region 4

"Cumberland Fossil Plant (CUF) (link...)
Observation: Seepage through dike at SW corner Gypsum Disposal Area and elevated piezometer readings
Short Term Improvement: Evaluate existing pump system and install piping to divert gypsum slurry from top of Gypsum Disposal Area.
Submittal Date to TVA: March 23, 2009
Complete April 2009.
Observation: Poor drainage, standing water and steep, unstable side slopes, as well as heavy vegetation growth within the perimeter dike drainage ditches below the gypsum disposal and dry ash stack areas.
Short Term Improvement: Remove vegetation, perform topographic surveying and design; and construct drainage improvements along the entire perimeter dike drainage ditch to eliminate standing water, establish stable side slopes, and reduce maintenance activities associated with vegetation removal.
Anticipated Submittal Date to TVA: August 21, 2009
Construction Status Active
Anticipated Construction Completion Date May 2010"

July 18 Norfolk-Southern Derailment at Kingston Fossil Plant (link...)
July 19, 2009:
"Yesterday evening, four cars of a train carrying ash from the Kingston site derailed as the train was switching tracks at the Kingston Fossil Plant. The railcars remained upright, and no ash was released. The cars have been lifted back onto undamaged track. Approximately 200 to 300 feet of rail tracks were damaged and are being repaired. No ash will be transported from the site Sunday, July 19, while TVA and its partner, Norfolk-Southern complete the repairs and investigate the cause of the derailment."

TVA Can't just do what they want. When the EPA rolled back into town, they found, they couldn't just leave the ash in the Swan Pond embayment.
The Corrective Action Plan (CAP) is YOUR path to addressing what is done with the houses. The future use of the land and residences is already in the plan. YOU have until TOMORROW 20 July 2009 to respond. I'm attaching a computer readable copy of the CAP. I haven't finished cleaning it up but together with the TDEC .pdf you should be able to figure out what's going on. Get busy TODAY if you want to have a say.
Respectfully,
Charlie

Real heavy Metal Chelation therapy (link...)
"… Lead poisoning and heavy metal toxicity
Chelation therapy using EDTA is the medically accepted treatment for lead poisoning. EDTA is injected intravenously in a medical setting, such as a clinic or a hospital. Once in the bloodstream, EDTA traps lead and other metals, forming a compound that can be excreted in the urine. The process generally takes between 1 - 3 hours. Other heavy metal toxicities treated with chelation include mercury, arsenic, aluminum, chromium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, selenium, zinc, tin, and thallium. Chelating agents other than EDTA are also used to clear several of these substances from the bloodstream. …"

"Contractor can't determine structural stability of TVA coal waste facilities." (link...)
The good news is that they are training the ash pond inspectors…

By the way… What's up? TVA daily status is days behind. TVA status report isn't posted on Leo's website. TDEC posted the "TVA Corrective Action Plan", but I don't see any comment on it anywhere, not in the press. This kind to quiet normally happens when people are busy or precedes some major announcement.

On July 13, TDEC responded to the TVA Corrective Action Plan of March 2 with comments and requirements of work remaining to be completed. (link...) for TDEC response to TVA Correction Action Plan
TDEC is committing TVA to cleanup the "Swan Pond Embayment" by fall 2010.

From the TVA Kingston page (link...)
Stantec Phase I Inspection Reports Released (link...)
"TVA commissioned the engineering firm Stantec Consulting to rigorously inspect, evaluate and make recommendations on ash storage facilities at all its fossil plants."
Reassessment of Storage Impoundments (link...)

National Debt History by President as a perrcentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
from the site (link...)
(could not find a way to attach to a comment)

A few places upstream got over two inches. How's the Emory?

Coal Ash: A National Problem Needs a National Solution
(link...)
I don't know how I missed this before. I'm seeing this sentiment from the Sierra Club as well. (link...)
I hope as Roane County defines your goals, you will communicate the support you would like on the national level. I'm proud Barbara Boxer has stepped up to the plate as well as admiring Bernice Johnson for her continuing efforts.
Please, let us know what we can do.

"10 acre interim storage area" approved that used to be called the Swan Pond embayment
"…approval of ash disposal transport to Perry County, AL, approval of a 10-acre interim storage area west of Dike 2, and TDEC approved dredge cell test plan. Railcars are currently being loaded. The first train left the site Thursday July 2nd. Crews will continue working through the weekend to load cars. A second train is anticipated to leave Saturday."
All in the "Pollution Report #22 TVA Kingston Fly Ash Release Time-Critical Removal Action" (link...)

At first, I thought this was just the approval for test loadings to the four landfills, but discusses other options including Midtown (too long to get permit), other previously unmentioned. …also details of test loading of trucks and trains.
Here is the documentation
"Offsite Ash Disposal Options Analysis"
(link...)