Knoxville, TN – The Tennessee Valley Authority is planning for a three-year cleanup of a massive coal ash spill in Tennessee, followed by potentially years of long-term environmental monitoring.
The nation's largest public utility is now dredging ash from the Emory River faster than it can ship the toxin-laden muck to a landfill in Alabama.
TVA officials say they are pressing to remove the 3 million cubic yards of ash from the water by early 2010. They told the TVA board on Thursday the work should be completed before spring rains wash more ash down river.
But they say it could take up to three years to remove the remaining 2.4 million cubic yards at the Kingston site. And then there could be years of monitoring and environmental work.
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