Gallatin Fossil Plant Bottom Ash Dewatering Facility Permanent Flow Management System

Gallatin, Tennessee

On December 31, 2019, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) issued a Final Supplemental Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) addressing the potential environmental effects associated with a permanent flow management system to treat process wastewater at the Gallatin Fossil Plant (GAF). This document supplements an Environmental Assessment (EA) and subsequent FONSI that TVA issued in 2017, which evaluated a bottom ash dewatering (BADW) system that is currently under construction at GAF. Click https://www.tva.com/Environment/Environmental-Stewardship/Environmental-Reviews/Gallatin-Fossil-Plant-Bottom-Ash-Process-Dewatering-Facility  to view the 2017 documents. The permanent flow management system will work in conjunction with the BADW system to treat process wastewater at the site.

Process wastewater is no longer being sluiced to onsite ash ponds at GAF and is currently being sent to an interim flow management system while TVA constructs the BADW facility. The SEA studied two alternatives:  (A) the No Action alternative which would turn the interim system into a permanent system and (B) an alternative which involves closure of the Bottom Ash Pond and construction of a process water basin. 

TVA’s preferred alternative is Alternative A, under which permanent modifications would be made to the interim flow management system and it would continue to treat process water flows from GAF. The flow management system would be connected to the new BADW facility once construction is completed and it becomes operational. Under Alternative A, the Bottom Ash Pond would not be closed for the purpose of constructing the process water basin(s), and the process water basin(s) would not be constructed.

As TVA has progressed with the interim flow management system, TVA has learned that these tank systems are an efficient and effective way to treat process water flows to maintain compliance with the GAF NPDES permit limits. It is anticipated that the system will further improve once the BADW facility is completed and operational. Therefore, TVA has elected not to construct the process water basin(s) to treat water in conjunction with the BADW facility at this time.

Public Open House

TVA hosted a public open house on September 24, 2019, to discuss the Gallatin facility and ongoing projects at the site. The meeting was held at the Gallatin Civic Center at 210 Albert Gallatin Avenue, Gallatin, TN 37066 from 5:00-8:00pm. 

Attendees were able to ask questions and provide comments on the SEA. TVA provided responses to comments in the Final SEA in Appendix A.