Staff File Photo by Patrick Smith
Remains of a coal ash spill that blanketed more than 300 acres in Harriman, Tenn., surround the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant.Several environmental groups, including one that got a kickstart with TVA’s Kingston ash spill, are offering the public an interactive Web page to track coal ash pollution.
The map shows the location and hazard risks for coal ash sites at 100 power plants throughout the Southeast.
The idea is to help people know where coal ash — a byproduct of making electricity — goes after it helps them flip on their light switch.
The effort — offered at www.southeastcoalash.org — includes information on the health threats associated with toxic-laden ash from coal-fired power plants, safety ratings of the coal ash impoundments and proposed safeguards.
“The Southeast has almost 450 impoundments holding roughly 118 billion gallons of ash that threatens our waterways and communities,” said Sandra Diaz with Appalachian Voices, a North Carolina-based group that was barely 10 years old at the time of Dec. 22, 2008, Kingston ash spill.