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Tennessee Fly Ash Spill


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Tennessee Fly Ash Spill Accident Lawsuits

Tennessee Fly Ash Spill Accident Injury | Lawsuits, Lawyers | Accidents: Injury | Toxins, Chemicals, Public Health Hazards, Environmental Concerns

The lawyers / attorneys at our firm are offering free consultations to anyone affected by the Tennessee fly ash spill that occurred on December 22, 2008.   The spill, which was the result of a dam break at the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Kingston Fossil Plant, was thought to be the largest fly ash spill in U.S. history.

The massive Tennessee fly ash spill damaged and destroyed homes, as well as hundreds of acres of land and surrounding waterways.  Fly ash, also known as coal ash, has been shown to contain large quantities of toxic chemicals that can cause cancer and other diseases.  Our Tennessee fly ash spill lawyers are offering representation to anyone who sustained property damage, or is facing serious environmental consequences as a result of this disaster.

The fly ash pond at the TVA Kingston plant had a history of safety problems. In the days following the spill, the TVA released inspection reports showing there had been two other breaches of the same fly ash pond during the previous six years. A report in  The Tennessean also said the plant's neighbors had reported previous "baby blowouts" that caused less severe contamination.  Our Tennessee fly ash spill lawyers are working hard to determine if negligence on the part of the TVA caused or contributed to this devastating catastrophe.

If you or someone you know were damaged by the TVA coal ash spill, you may be entitled to compensation.  We urge you to contact one of the Tennessee fly ash spill lawyers at our firm right away to protect your legal rights.

Tennessee Kingston Fossil Plant Fly Ash Spill

The Tennessee fly ash spill occurred  around 1:00 a.m. on December 22, 2008 after  a wall holding back 80 acres of sludge from the TVA coal plant in central Tennessee broke.  Initial estimates said as much as 500 million gallons of waste engulfed the surrounding area. The TVA plant is located in Roane County, on a tributary of the Tennessee River called the Clinch River.

The TVA said that up to 400 acres of land had been coated by the sludge, making it 48 times larger than the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska.   Though the exact cause of the accident was not known, it was thought that six inches of rain over the previous 10 days and overnight temperatures in the teens contributed to the dam breach.

The fly ash spill damaged  15 homes. All the residents were  evacuated, but at least three homes were deemed uninhabitable.  The spill also clogged the nearby Emory River,  which provides drinking water for millions of people living downstream.

By December 26, the TVA had tripled the estimated amount of fly ash thought to have been released by the dam burst. An aerial survey conducted the day after the spill revealed that a total of 5.4 million cubic yards of waste had been released.  The TVA previously estimated that around 1.7 million cubic yards had been spilled.

Environmental Impact of Fly Ash Spills

It could be years before the environmental impact of the Tennessee fly ash spill is truly known.  In the days after the spill, hundreds of fish were seen floating dead downstream from the plant, and state and federal agencies had yet to complete water quality testing.  The contaminated rivers put the water supply at risk for major downstream cities like Chattanooga as well as millions of other people in Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Fly ash is one of the waste products generated when coal is burned.  Studies have shown that fly ash contains significant quantities of heavy metals like arsenic, lead and selenium, which can cause cancer and neurological problems.  However, several days after the spill, the TVA had not issued any environmental warnings to nearby residents, and insisted there was no evidence yet of toxins in the waste.

Legal Help For Victims Affected By Tennessee Fly Ash Spill

If you or a loved one were affected by Tennessee Fly Ash Spill, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified attorney or call us anytime at 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636).

Tennessee Fly Ash SpillRSS Feed

After TVA Fly Ash Spill, A Call For More Regulation

Dec 2, 2009 | Parker Waichman LLP
Nearly a year after the massive Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) fly ash spill that decimated homes, wildlife, aquatic life, land, and waterways an advisory board in that state is now recommending more stringent regulations of ash impoundment facilities similar to the Kingston Fossil Plant, KnoxNews is reporting.The advisory board, comprised mostly of engineers, has asked the TVA to have the Dam Safety Group manage its facilities; ban the sort of construction that took place at Kingston; adopt...
After TVA Fly Ash Spill, A Call For More Regulation »

TVA Faces Over A Dozen Suits Over Fly Ash Spill

Nov 27, 2009 | Parker Waichman LLP
Legal filings made just prior to the holiday almost doubled lawsuits now pending against the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) over the December 22nd Kingston fly ash spill.The massive and catastrophic spill—the largest of its kind—dumped an incomprehensible 5.4 million cubic yards of toxic coal sludge and associated toxins into Tennessee’s Emory and Clinch rivers and the 300 acres surrounding the TVA’s Kingston plant. The spill highlighted issues with contaminants in...
TVA Faces Over A Dozen Suits Over Fly Ash Spill »

TVA Says 2/3rds of Coal Ash from Last Year's Spill Cleaned Up

Nov 17, 2009 | Parker Waichman LLP
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is stating that most of the coal ash “deemed critical” following last year’s historic spill, has been cleaned up, said WDEF. The authority said some two-thirds of the “critical” spill has been cleaned out of the Emory RiverThe catastrophic fly ash spill took place last December and released an unimaginable 5.4 million cubic yards of toxic coal sludge, dumping toxins into Tennessee’s Emory and Clinch rivers and the 300...
TVA Says 2/3rds of Coal Ash from Last Year's Spill Cleaned Up »

EPA Report Details Coal Ash Threat

Oct 28, 2009 | Parker Waichman LLP
We have been following events since the catastrophic fly ash spill that took place last December in Tennessee in which an unimaginable 5.4 million cubic yards of toxic coal sludge was dumped into the Emory and Clinch rivers and the 300 acres surrounding the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Kingston plant. Now, an emerging Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report states that some “potentially toxic pollutants,” such as mercury and arsenic, which are found in coal ash,...
EPA Report Details Coal Ash Threat »

TVA Fly Ash Cleanup to Last Three Years

Oct 5, 2009 | Parker Waichman LLP
Efforts to complete cleanup on last year’s massive Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) fly ash spill is expected to take three years, according to Steve McCracken, the newly-named recovery project’s general manager, reported KnoxNews.According to McCracken, speaking at a news conference at the plant, the properties impacted by the historic and decimating spill will be safe for habitation and that he claims he would feel safe living near the utility’s plant following...
TVA Fly Ash Cleanup to Last Three Years »

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