· River Operations Monitoring
At about 2:30 p.m. on Monday, May 3, it was reported that river levels were very high and were expected to increase over the next 24 hours. Because it would have been unsafe to put crews on the water at that time, TVA was not able to begin monitoring until Tuesday. Boat crews reported that a large amount of debris was found to be floating down the Clinch and Emory rivers. Cenospheres were reported to be present in pockets along the Tennessee, likely being flushed off the shore because of the high water levels. No ash was visible in the water. Conditions in the Tennessee were expected to worsen as debris from the Clinch moved down river. River flows on Tuesday: Melton Hill approximately 5,100 cubic feet per second (cfs); Ft. Loudon approximately 10,700; Watts Bar approximately 50,100 cfs.
Rain Event Sampling
When sampling results from last weekend’s heavy rains and the rain events of April 27 and 28, 2010, are received from the laboratory and verified they will be provided to the CAG. As we discussed at the meeting on May 6, we will not have river sampling data for Monday, May 3, due to a malfunction of the automated sampling equipment.
· Utility Restorations Continue
Work has begun along the hillside, parallel to the railroad tracks, and across from the north entrance to the recovery project site, to build a construction road for heavy equipment that will be used for utility restoration in that area. This work will not impact travel. All utility restoration work is on track to be finished early this summer, except for the last piece, which will be completed once the Swan Pond Circle Road bridge is in place.
· Swan Pond Circle Road Bypass
The construction of the bypass off Swan Pond Circle Road began this week and will continue for about three weeks. Travel along Swan Pond Circle Road will be affected only for the time required to connect the bypass to the existing road. Community members will be given notice before the road is closed. The bridge construction that will follow is expected to take eight to ten weeks. Afterward, the bypass will be removed and Swan Pond Circle Road will be reopened.
· Bridge Construction – the Next Phase
To minimize inconvenience for motorists, a portion of Swan Pond Circle Road will be converted into a bridge to carry local traffic over a newly built underpass for trucks removing ash from the embayment. A diversion road to bypass the construction of the bridge will be installed to minimize the impact to motorists. A Request for Proposals was issued in anticipation of awarding a contract for construction of the bridge. Bids must be submitted by May 28, 2010.
· End of Time Critical
Once the dredges are out of the river, TVA will no longer remove debris that accumulates in private coves. If cenospheres are found to be accumulating in coves, the river operations crews will remove them.
· Public Meeting Notice
A Notice of Public Meeting to be held on Thursday, May 20, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Roane County High School will be placed in local newspapers beginning early next week. We would like for the CAG to participate as in the past - during the open house segment, in the welcome and the introductions, and on the panel.
· Emory River Closure Extended
Ads will be placed in the local newspapers and on the TVA Kingston website to announce to community members that as TVA and EPA continue recovery of the Kingston ash spill, large mechanical equipment is being used to remove ash from the Emory River at ERM 5.7 downriver to ERM 4.0. To keep users of the Emory River as safe as possible, the closure of the river has been extended and will reopen at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 29, 2010. Workers will do their best to limit the distance of the river that is closed at any given time, opting to extend the closed areas only where dredging operations are taking place or where dredge pipes are located. These areas will be clearly marked and no river traffic will be allowed through these areas. For transport around the Emory River closure due to significant need, residents can contact TVA at 865-717-1635 or e-mail emoryrivertransport@tva.gov. Advance notice of three business days is required to fulfill approved requests.
· In response to your request the following website links are provided. Responses to other questions will be provided as soon as possible.
For the EPA website for Nature and Extent of Ash in the River Bottom.
The link to the EPA website where information pertaining to the announcement of the proposed rule regarding disposition of coal fly ash: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/4eca022f6f5c501185257719005dfb1b!OpenDocument
If you have any questions, please call Katie Kline or me at 865-717-1645.
Jane Greenwalt
Project Manager, Community Outreach
Tennessee Valley Authority
Kingston Ash Recovery Project
Office: 865.717.1645
Cell: 865.806.7688
No comments:
Post a Comment