coal sludge retaining 'pond' breaks in Tn.

[LeeG]

it's big.
Happened yesterday, approx 1billion gallons
http://solveclimate.com/blog/20081223/dam-breach-tennessee-releases-tsunami-toxic-coal-sludge

[BrianW]

Looks pretty bad!

I wonder if the boom used for oil spills can be used with this stuff.

[Vince Brennan]

Nope. This is like "Chunky Monkey", next to which an oil spill is, well... an oil spill. Oil stays mostly on top. This has BIG clumps and would destroy any oil-containment boom I've ever seen.

[BrianW]

There is some pretty impressive boom out there. BIG stuff deployed off of ocean going barges.

But, this coal sludge would still have to float like oil.

[rbgarr]

Ghastly. If that's 'a spill', then Chernobyl was merely 'a fire'.

[Tylerdurden]

Hang on a minute; this is not even coal washings, it's fly ash.

Messy, but very low level of toxicity. We use it to make specialised light weight bricks here in Britain.

No grounds for paranoia, that sort of thing just gives the environmental movement a bad name.

Well someone should say that to those who lost their homes. I am sure they will feel better about it as it is the Holidays.:rolleyes:

[Gary E]

For a much better report on what happened read here
http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/636656.html

[Phillip Allen]

how much of that was farm or pasture land?...gonna be a big loss for crop raising and pasture for years to come...

[LeeG]

For a much better report on what happened read here
http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/636656.html

wow, no plans for slurry pond breaks but there are for water dams. And proposals to fund the plans failed in the legislature. Oh boy.

[George Roberts]

It is very hard to stop flowing materials. About all you can do is tell people to leave the area.

[Paul Pless]

Messy, but very low level of toxicity.Huge fish kills and destruction of river habitat will have long lasting consequences.:(

[Gary E]

State inspectors have rated 70 of the 395 high- and moderate-hazard dams as deficient, but that doesn't mean they are unstable. Many deficiencies are relatively minor, such as needing to control animal burrows that could eventually threaten the stability of the dam.

What is done with these other dams and containment ponds to make them safer?
What is done with the "stuff" in the ponds?
Is it barged to somewhere else?
Then what do they do with it?

[Captain Blight]

What is done with these other dams and containment ponds to make them safer?
What is done with the "stuff" in the ponds?
Is it barged to somewhere else?
Then what do they do with it?If Kentucky legislators are the same as everyone elses they'll do exactly what their constituents tell them to do.

Usually, that means ignoring it and hoping for the best so they don't have to raise money out of tax dollars.

[JimD]

Was the mine responsible publicly owned?

[Tylerdurden]

Perspective:

http://www.wise-uranium.org/mdaf.html

and quite possibly more than most of us here will want to know:

http://www.mineralresourcesforum.org/docs/pdfs/Bulletin121.PDF


Have you seen the video's? People lost their homes just before Christmas and you try to tell us to look away, its no big deal.
I really am having a hard time understanding your motivations here?

[Iceboy]

Not a mine, but a power plant operated by the TVA. I'm sure they have deep pockets, but will end up screwing the locals with the governments blind eye observing.

[Tom Montgomery]

For a much better report on what happened read here
http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/636656.html

Gee... A Lexington Herald-Leader article about the concern of environmentalists and some Kentucky state legislators.

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for any significant new legislation and change. Kentucky is about as red as a state can be: Our two US Senators are both Republican, 4 of our 6 US Congressmen are Republican, and our State Legislature is controlled by the Republicans. At the moment our Governor is a Democrat... but that is only because the previous Governor, Republican Ernie Fletcher, was so corrupt. How corrupt? His own party supported someone else in their primary election.
Legislation proposed in the previous two sessions [of the State Legislature] to require such [emergency preparedness] plans have failed.
We do not believe in either taxes or regulation. Government is not the solution... Government is the problem, don't you know?