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FOOD FOR THOUGHT Liners have clearly had a very beneficial impact on waste management. Geosynthetic barrier systems are required for landfills in the United States. In the past few infrastructure "report cards" from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American waste management industry has stood above all other sectors–in general scoring the only passing grades. Stringent regulations, construction quality assurance (CQA), and highly engineered barrier and reinforcement materials have been the difference makers. |
This week, word has come out that the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), owners of the Kingston, Tennessee coal ash plant that failed in December 2008, will phase out wet coal ash storage at its many operations to further minimize risk of future environmental disasters.
When the unlined, wet ash storage facility in Kingston broke, it released 5.4 million cubic yards of contaminated ash across 275 acres. The estimated cleanup cost, as announced in mid-February, was $525-$825 million. Today, the prevalent estimation is north of $1 billion.
The TVA’s new proposal will impact six wet-coal ash and four wet-gypsum facilities across Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky. They will be converted to dry ash operations by 2018. The plan must still be approved by TVA’s leadership.
KINGSTON’S ECHOES
The sudden, dramatic failure of the coal ash pond in Tennessee led to regulation movements in multiple states where coal-fired power plants store ash in open, wet ponds. States like Iowa, West Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky quickly opened heavy discussion and pass various rules on liner requirements and sun-setting of old facilities.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which had hesitated to establish a rule on coal ash storage around 2000, also became vocal. Federal regulation, similar to the role federal regulation plays in municipal solid waste disposal, was pursued.
The TVA had known of problems at the facility for many years, but such a severe situation was not identified by TVA or the majority of engineers hired to analyze the site. As recent as 2003, engineers were brought in to correct the perceived weaknesses in the structure. One group estimated up to $25 million worth of work, including $5 million for a modern lining system. The TVA balked at that proposal and instead accepted a proposal for a sub-$1,000,000 drainage correction.
In March, EPA administrator Lisa P. Jackson said, “Environmental disasters like the one last December in Kingston should never happen anywhere in this country.”
The quick decision to develop new regulations and review existing structures, coupled with decision such as the TVA’s this week, may secure that safer future.
ADDITIONAL LINK
Associated Press article by Duncan Mansfield on the TVA’s plan
Chris Kelsey is the editorial director for geosynthetica.net and a member of the IGS, the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS), and ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics. He can be reached at chris@geosynthetica.net.
Published 13 August 2009
