With the Chattahoochee River expected to reach an all-time high from the torrential rains that inundated Georgia over the past several days, there are concerns that the coal ash ponds at Plant Wansley and Plant Yates are in danger of flooding.
That could wash the toxic coal ash onto adjacent lands and into downstream waterways. The plants are owned by Georgia Power, the largest subsidiary of the Atlanta-based Southern Co.
No issues with the ash ponds have been reported so far, according to the company.
"We have had no problems at this time at our facilities along the Chattahoochee," Georgia Power spokesperson Jeff Wilson told Facing South.
The Chattahoochee is expected to crest this afternoon at 31.5 feet, surpassing the old high flood stage of 29.11 feet, the Newnan Times-Herald reports:
* Things get more serious at the 26 feet flood stage, when major flooding begins. Small coffer dams at Georgia Power Plant Wansley 12 miles downstream begin to be overtopped by floodwaters.In the Google Earth image of Plant Wansley above, the river runs from top right to bottom center, passing very close to the facility and its massive coal ash storage ponds, which can be seen to the left of the plant. In 2007 alone, the facility dumped more than 3 million pounds of toxic waste including arsenic, lead and mercury into its ash ponds, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's Toxics Release Inventory.
* At 28 feet, river intake buildings flood at Georgia Power Plant Yates.
* If the river reaches a record high of 30 feet it is estimated the pumping station at Georgia Power's Plant Wansley -- 12 miles downstream -- floods.
Also located along the Chattahoochee southeast of Wansley, Plant Yates dumped more than 430,000 pounds of toxic waste into on-site surface impoundments in 2007.
These are the coal plants that have brought us climate change, along with Georgia Power's several other massive coal plants, such as Plant Bowen, on the flooding Etowah River near Cartersville, and Plant Scherer, north of Macon. These plants emit greenhouse gasses in excess of many nation's entire economies. Over the last few drought years, the releases of Lake Lanier water to the river were dictated by the need for cooling water for these plants, and others like nuclear Plant Farley, on the same river further downstream.
The severity of this rain event, and the consequences of such probable future repeats, is masked by the old flood data being used as comparison. That old high water mark between these subject power plants--the 29.11 foot flood height, was many decades ago, before the massive upstream Lake Lanier and many smaller flood control dams. Lake Lanier has continued filling, holding back a huge portion of these flood waters above Atlanta as the lake keeps growing over the 5 counties it touches. There's certainly more sudden rainfall this time than 1919.
Georgia Power better get busy with a safer plan for coal ash containment, as should TVA and coal-addicted utilities. Shipping it off to poor communities, like TVA, isn't a real solution. And putting these toxics into solution in the river isn't proper either. This release can't be excused as some act of God. Like TVA's ash flood, it's bad management, and poor oversight by regulatory agencies. Will this release of ash and toxic heavy metals equal TVA's? Quite possibly--once it's independently assessed.
September 23, 2009 12:41 AM | Reply
No one ever mentions that coal fired plants have a larger radiological foot print than nuclear plants. You don't have millions of pounds of coal fly ash in pits next to nuclear power stations. There is no direct carbon dioxide created from nuclear power generation. The US has the largest know reserves of uranium in the world.
These are all facts. But with a coal lobby and the public's ignorance you get these ecological disasters waiting to happen like the TVA coal fly ash damn wall failure.
September 24, 2009 10:56 AM | Reply
Anonymous comments criticize the hands that allow them to criticize the hands that keep the energy flowing. Narry a comment about rigged global warning data or the billion dollars Ali Gore gains from false global warming data. Narry the truth Nuclear Power has no carbon footprint. One year residence near a nuclear plant ( 1 mrem/yr) is equal one hundred years (80-100 mrems/yr)exposure to rocks, trees, sunshine, normal background.
November 30, 2009 11:52 AM | Reply