TVA’s Toxic Legacy: Groundwater Contaminated by Tennessee Valley Authority Coal Ash November 2013 About the Environmental Integrity Project The Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to the enforcement of the nation’s anti-pollution laws and to the prevention of political interference with those laws. EIP provides objective analysis of how the failure to enforce or implement environmental laws increases pollution and harms public health, and helps local communities obtain the protection of environmental laws. Data Limitations EIP based its analysis of groundwater quality on publicly available data retrieved from the Tennessee Valley Authority through Freedom of Information Act Requests. The amount of information available, and the date of the most recent information available, varies by site. The range of dates for which we had information on file is described in each site-specific section of the report. EIP is committed to ensuring that the data we present are as accurate as possible. We will correct any errors that are verifiable. Questions and comments can be directed to Abel Russ at
[email protected] Environmental Integrity Project – DC Office 1000 Vermont Avenue NW, Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20005 Phone (202) 296-8800 • Fax (202) 296-8822 2 Executive Summary The billion-gallon spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) Kingston plant in 2008 reminded us that unregulated and poorly maintained coal ash ponds are an invitation to disaster. Although less visible, contamination below the surface of TVA’s power plants may be the more serious, long-lasting legacy from decades of mismanagement. Based on a review of documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, this report shows that TVA’s ponds and landfills have contaminated groundwater under and around all eleven of the utility’s fleet of coal-fired power plants.