PADUCAH, Ky. — The Tennessee Valley Authority is seeking public comment on potential environmental impacts of building a facility to remove and recirculate water used in the coal ash management process at Shawnee Fossil Plant near Paducah, Ky.

TVA is proposing to build a dewatering facility for bottom ash at Shawnee as part of its commitment to convert from wet to dry storage of ash and other coal combustion residual products across the TVA system. The facility would include a recirculation system to recycle water used to move ash back into the powerhouse for continued use. The dry ash would then be stored onsite.

The dewatering facility would also foster TVA’s compliance with current and future regulations related to coal combustion products.

TVA is inviting the public to comment on a draft Environmental Assessment which considers the potential environmental impacts of several alternatives, including construction of the dewatering facility. Comments will be considered as we prepare the final EA, which will be released later this year.

Comments on the draft EA must be received no later than July 15, 2016 online at www.tva.com/nepa, by email to [email protected], or in writing to Ashley Farless, Tennessee Valley Authority, 1101 Market St., BR 4A, Chattanooga, TN, 37402.

The EA is being prepared to inform TVA decision-makers and the public about the environmental consequences of the proposed action. The decision TVA must make is whether to construct a dewatering facility or take no action.

Shawnee Fossil Plant is located on 1,696 acres along the Ohio River about 10 miles northwest of Paducah, Ky. It has nine active coal-fired generating units with a summer net capability of 1,206 megawatts and can generate about 8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, enough to supply approximately 540,000 homes.

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