KNOXVILLE, Tenn.­­ — The Tennessee Valley Authority is asking for public input on the potential impacts of options for future storage of numerous coal ash impoundments at the Gallatin Fossil Plant in Sumner County, Tennessee.

Details on the options are available in a draft Environmental Impact Statement available at www.tva.com/nepa. Comments will be accepted through Feb. 18, 2020.

In June 2019, TVA and the state of Tennessee agreed to close the wet impoundments at Gallatin by removal. TVA needs to decide how and where to dispose of the coal ash in those impoundments. TVA has eliminated from consideration the option of closure-in-place following the agreement.

Options being evaluated in the draft EIS include placing the coal ash in an expansion of the existing dry storage landfill onsite, removal to an offsite landfill and the potential for beneficial reuse. Various activities that support closure-by-removal are also being evaluated in the draft EIS, including remediation of a former gun range, development of a new office complex and relocation of existing communications and alarm towers.

TVA’s review will consider factors such as environmental impacts, economic issues and TVA’s long-term goals for managing CCR. Any conclusions will be subject to review and approval by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

As part of the draft EIS, TVA will consider relocation of approximately 50 graves in unmaintained cemeteries within the proposed landfill expansion area. TVA is conducting historical and genealogical research on each cemetery.

TVA is also hosting a public open house on the draft EIS from 5 to 7 p.m. CST on Thursday, Jan. 16 at the Gallatin Civic Center, 210 Albert Gallatin Avenue. Comments on the draft EIS can be submitted at this open house.

Comments can also be submitted online at www.tva.com/nepa, by email to [email protected] and in writing to Tennessee Valley Authority, ATTN: Ashley Farless, 1101 Market St., BR2C-C, Chattanooga, TN 37402. Comments should be received no later than Feb. 18, 2020. Any comments received, including names and addresses, will become part of the official record and will be available for public inspection. 

To learn more about TVA and its 86-year mission of service to the Tennessee Valley, click here.

Contact

Scott Brooks
TVA Public Relations, Knoxville, (865) 632-6000

[email protected]
(865) 632-7453
Knoxville, TN