Gallatin Fossil Plant Bottom Ash Process Dewatering Facility

The Tennessee Valley Authority has released a Final Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for construction of a bottom ash process dewatering facility at its Gallatin Fossil Plant (GAF). The Draft EA was made available for public comment from March 23, 2017, through April 24, 2017. TVA considered all of the substantive comments received on the Draft EA and has responded to them in the Final EA.

With a long-standing commitment to safe and reliable operations and to environmental stewardship, TVA began to modernize its coal ash management in 2009 including converting from wet to dry ash storage. This effort was later endorsed by the TVA Board in 2011.

This EA considered the impacts of two action alternatives and a no-action alternative:

• Alternative A - No Action
• Alternative B - Construction of a Bottom Ash Process Dewatering Facility Utilizing a Continuous or “Once Through” System
• Alternative C - Construction of a Bottom Ash Dewatering Facility with a Recirculated Bottom Ash Effluent Stream

Conclusions and Findings

Based on the findings in the EA, TVA concludes that implementing Alternative B or Alternative C would not be a major federal action significantly affecting the environment. Accordingly, an environmental impact statement is not required to implement either of these action alternatives. TVA’s preferred alternative and the one it is inclined to implement is Alternative C, construction of the process dewatering facility and the recirculation system to recycle sluice water back into the powerhouse for future sluicing operations. TVA plans to implement its preferred alternative (i.e., Alternative C) in a phased manner, starting with the construction of the once-through dewatering facility in the first phase and then adding the recirculating system in a subsequent phase.