Waste spills at second TVA site

Alabama accident, smaller than one in Tennessee, releases water and gypsum

By Anne Paine and Brad Schrade • THE TENNESSEAN • January 10, 2009

STEVENSON, Ala. — Coal waste from another TVA power plant — this time Widows Creek in north Alabama — has spilled into a waterway, bringing more emergency action and more calls from environmentalists to regulate the material.

The Tennessee Valley Authority, which estimated the spill at 10,000 gallons, placed booms in Widows Creek, which runs through the plant site, to stop the waste from moving downstream, said Scott Hughes, a spokesman for the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

The material unloosed was a mixture of water and gypsum, which can contain potentially toxic substances.