Emory River Opened, No Wake Zone Reduced

Emory River Opened, No Wake Zone Reduced

 

Contact Information: James Pinkney, 404-562-9183, pinkney.james@epa.gov

 

(Atlanta-August 30, 2010)  Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) shortened the no wake zone on the Emory River. The main river channel is accessible to the public, but caution is advised. The Emory River channel has been marked as a fully enforced no wake zone by TVA Police under Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) authority from mile marker 2.1 to 1.8.  Large equipment remains in the intake channel with booms separating it from the main river channel.

 

The initial river closure began on Aug. 11, 2009, and was last extended through May 15, 2010. The U.S. Coast Guard, EPA and TVA reevaluated river operations and concluded that an extension to the closure area was necessary for continued public safety. Emory River reopened on May 29, 2010.

 

For safety reasons, no trespassing signs have been posted along shorelines of the recovery site. The public will not be allowed in work zones. EPA, in consultation with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and the Tennessee Department of Health, has determined that any coal ash remaining in the river presents minimal health risks to recreational users.

Casual contact with ash in the river should not cause skin irritation, although long-term contact could result in some irritation from sand-like particles in the ash. River users are therefore advised to wash after exiting the river, especially in areas where ash is clearly visible.

 

Individuals requiring further information or instructions regarding recreational use of Watts Bar Reservoir should contact EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, Stephanie Y. Brown at 1-877-718-3752 or 865-717-1635.

 

To the Roane County Community Advisory Group August 27, 2010

Emory River No-wake Zone Reduced

We received concurrence from EPA late yesterday on the reduced no-wake zone.  Effective immediately, the posted no-wake zone in the Emory River, previously posted from Emory River Mile (ERM) 1.7 to 2.8, has been reduced to ERM 1.8 to 2.1.  While the boom has been removed, the no-wake buoys in this zone will not be removed until Monday. 

Some work continues at the Kingston Fossil Plant intake channel adjacent to the main channel and the work zone is boomed off.  The public will not be allowed in this work zone.

These changes will be posted at local marinas and boat ramps and on the TVA Kingston Website today and an ad announcing the reduced no-wake zone will appear in local newspapers next Wednesday, September 1, 2010.  A copy of the ad is attached.

If you have any questions, please call Katie Kline or me at 717-1645.

Jane Greenwalt

Project Manager, Community Outreach

Tennessee Valley Authority

Kingston Ash Recovery Project

Office:  865.717.1645

Cell:  865.806.7688

jmgreenwalt@tva.gov

TVA to the Roane County Community Advisory Group August 25, 2010

Rocks to be Placed on West Side of Discharge Channel

The Kingston Fossil Plant will begin routine work to place rocks, also called riprap, on the west side of the discharge channel for erosion control on Monday, August 30, 2010.  The area where the work is to be performed is visible from the river.  Riprap is made from a variety of rock types, usually granite or limestone, and is used on  waterways or water containment  areas where there is potential for water erosion.
Mechanical Dredging Complete/New Water Surface Monitoring Plan to be Implemented
The mechanical dredging in the area where Bob Summers Boulevard was located is finished and has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in consultation with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.    Bob Summers Boulevard, which has been removed, was built soon after the ash spill to help earth moving equipment reach the east embayment and the north point.  With the completion of the mechanical dredging, the Revised Surface Water Monitoring Plan will be implemented on Monday, August 30, 2010.

If you have any questions, please give Katie Kline or me a call 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

jmgreenwalt@tva.gov

August 20, 2010 To Members of the Roane County CAG

August 20, 2010

To Members of the Roane County CAG

Emory River Buoys

On August 18, a crew checked the section of the Emory River where temporary buoys have been installed. The installed buoys are in their original place and did not appear to have drifted, and are in at least five feet of water. However, near river mile marker 1.7, it appears that the sand bar across from the skimmer wall protrudes out into the marked channel. An additional red buoy was added between the two existing red buoys to adjust the channel to avoid this obstruction.   The TVA river navigation group is helping us coordinate with the Coast Guard’s buoy tender to install the final markings.

ORAU Medical Screening Results

ORAU’s report on medical evaluations of Roane County residents were announced on Tuesday, August 17.  Information can be found on ORAU’s website, located at http://www.orau.org/

Please do not hesitate to contact Jane Greenwalt or me for more information.

Katie

Katie Bell Kline

General Manager, Kingston Support Services

Tennessee Valley Authority

865-717-1668 (Office)

865-621-8125 (Mobile)

To the Roane County Community Advisory Group August 12, 2010

To the Roane County Community Advisory Group

August 12, 2010

As TVA continues to commission the scrubbers, part of the commissioning is to see how different blends of coal work with the new scrubbers in reducing Sulfur Dioxide emissions.  Beginning August 14, the Kingston Fossil Plant will begin test burns with different types of coal.  These test burns will only be performed on one unit at a time, though we will have multiple units in service. 

The public will not see anything different, but we want to make sure we keep our commitment to let you know about any coal test burns we plan to do.  During the test burns, the units will be continuously monitored, both inside and outside.   The State has been notified about the testing. 

Please contact Katie Kline or me (717-1645, or cell, 806-7688) should you have any questions.

Jane Greenwalt

Project Manager, Community Outreach

Tennessee Valley Authority

Kingston Ash Recovery Project

Office:  865.717.1645

Cell:  865.806.7688

jmgreenwalt@tva.gov

ORAU Study to be Presented

http://www.orau.org/occupational-exposure-worker-health-studies/projects/kingstonproject/default.aspx
Oak Ridge Associated Universities, in conjunction with Vanderbilt University Medical Center toxicology experts, will host an open house on Tuesday, Aug. 17, to present the results of the medical screenings offered to Roane County residents who have health concerns related to the Kingston Fossil Plant fly ash spill of December, 2008.
The open house is scheduled from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at Roane State Community College.
The open house will include briefings by Donna Cragle, Ph.D. vice president for Occupational Exposure and Worker Health at ORAU, and John Benitez, M.D. medical toxicologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
To ensure the transparency of our work on this project, we are providing the results to everyone at the same time via this project web page.
Please check back on this site at noon on Tuesday, August 17, for the report and other material, such as an executive summary and an at-a-glance brochure, to help explain the results. The presentations from the open house will be posted at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 17.
ORAU, in partnership with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, completed the initial round of medical screenings in April 2010.
More than 200 individuals were screened. The results report contains no personally identifiable information and consists of statistical data showing results of the screening population as a whole.