What's in the sludge?

by Barbara Mathieson | December 31, 2008 at 06:15 am

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TVA, EPA have yet to share test info; Bredesen to visit site
By Anne Paine • STAFF WRITER • December 31, 2008

From the air on Tuesday, the dump trucks, bulldozers and other heavy equipment looked like Tonka trucks in a huge dingy sandbox, moving mounds of gray-black muck.

They're part of an around-the-clock effort to clean up a massive slide of potentially toxic ash sludge at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston power plant.

Gov. Phil Bredesen is planning to take his first tour of the Roane County spill today with his top health and environmental officials to discuss the cleanup operation and safety issues surrounding the debris.

On the ground, TVA officials updated media and residents about steps taken to control the spill.

But one piece of information is still missing: What exactly is in the slurry that is now haphazardly heaped across 300 acres of people's yards, forests and fields?

As a Tennessee resident interested in the environment, I'm upset that my governor is just visiting this disaster over a week after it occurred. Okay, Gov. Bredesen, I know that it is the holidays, but you are the governor, and this is one of the largest environmental disasters ever. Stop George Bush-ing around and get this fixed.