TVA Cleanup: $525-$825 Million Needed

In 2003, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) expressed concern over the structural security of its Kingston coal ash reservoir. But the company expressed even greater concern with the proposed redesign bills, including one that recommended up to $25 million of work (and which would have appropriated $5 million for a proper liner). The TVA chose a sub-$1 million plan. When the Kingston facility failed in December 2008, it released 5.4 million cubic yards of contaminating ash across 275 acres. The estimated cleanup cost is $525-$825 million. That’s 21 times the highest redesign cost proposal from 2003 and 105 times the cost of the liner TVA balked at. One can reasonably expect liners to be mandated in the near future for these disposal and storage facilities.