GLOBAL CLIMATE DEBATE

EPA: Some Coal Ash to Remain in Emory River

Federal regulators say it's technologically impossible to remove all the coal ash from the December 2008 Kingston spill from the Emory River.
And that means an undetermined amount of coal ash will remain, even after the cleanup ends.

The leader of EPA's emergency cleanup operation says the removal of ash from the Emory River has entered its final stage. But because dredging along the riverbed stirs up sediments and ash, 5 to 20 percent of the material will remain suspended in the water, then settle back on the riverbed after the dredges move on.

TVA's cleanup project manager tells the Knoxville News Sentinel that doesn't contradict TVA's stated goal of leaving the area better than it was before the accident. In fact, he maintains that water quality "will be better than it was before."

Source: Knoxville News Sentinel