EPA Response to Kingston TVA Coal Ash Spill

On December 22, 2008, at approximately 1:00 a.m., a failure of the northwest side of a dike used to contain coal ash occurred at the dewatering area of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston Fossil Plant, located at 714 Swan Pond Road in Harriman, Roane County, Tennessee.  Subsequent to the dike failure, approximately 5.4 million cubic yards (CYs) of coal ash was released into Swan Pond Embayment and three adjacent sloughs, eventually spilling into the main Emory River channel.  The release extended approximately 300 acres outside of the fly ash dewatering and storage areas of the plant. On May 11, 2009, TVA entered into an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) with the EPA Region 4 Office, under the regulatory authority of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), to address the coal ash released to the environment.  The Superfund program was selected as the preferred regulatory framework due to its comprehensive human health and ecological risk assessment process and its proven ability to actively engage and involve multiple stakeholders in large, complex environmental cleanup projects.  TVA was the lead Federal agency to implement the cleanup actions required by the AOC.  EPA approved all cleanup actions in consultation with the Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation (TDEC).

To see the complete collection of documents, visit the Superfund Publications website. 

• March 18, 2015 - Letter from Carol Eimers, TVA to Craig Zeller, U.S. EPA - Subject: On-Scene Coordinator Report for the NTC Removal Action for TVA Kingston Fossil Plant Fly Ash
• April 22, 2015 - Letter from Carol Eimers, TVA to Craig Zeller, U.S. EPA - Subject: Completion Report for TVA Kingston Fossil Plant Fly Ash
• April 22, 2015 - Letter from Carol Eimers, TVA to Craig Zeller, U.S. EPA - Subject: On-Scene Coordinator Report Addendum for the NTC Removal Action For The Embayment/Dredge Cell, TVA Kingston Fossil Plant Fly Ash
• October 1, 2015 - Updated Data Analysis And Temporal Trend Evaluations in Biota: 2009 - 2014, TVA Kingston Fossil Plant Fly Ash
• November 1, 2015 - Fact Sheet - Sites in Reuse - TVA Kingston Removal Site
• Project Completion Fact Sheet, TVA Kingston Fossil Plant Fly Ash, Harriman, Roane County, Tennessee