TVA Disaster
United Mountain Defense is dedicated to protecting Tennessee’s watersheds, air, mountains and communities. We have many years of experience working on issues relating to surface mining and its impacts on communities. A primary focus of UMD has been in scientific data collection, community organizing, and data collection and analysis from federal and state agencies.
These skills enabled UMD to rapidly respond to the needs of the community impacted by the TVA coal waste disaster by shifting our field operations to the site. UMD has been working on the ground in Harriman Tennessee since Monday December 22. Residents living near the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston Steam Plant were flooded with approximately 1.1 billion gallons of coal waste. It covered over 300 acres of land and flooded into tributaries of the Tennessee River which is the water supply for Chattanooga TN and millions of people living downstream in Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.
UMD began working in this community by engaging in door to door active “Listening Projects” to better understand the needs of the community. UMD discovered several needs that initiated the following projects:
Distributions of Information : UMD discovered that the primary need was for information and members responded by distributing handouts including Material Safety Data Sheets, the Toxic Release Inventory for the Kingston Coal Plant, instructions for writing petitions to the ATSDR, info on how to minimize exposure to coal ash and more.
Water Distribution: Some areas reported the need for clean drinking water so UMD distributed more than 500 gallons of bottled water door to door and have now worked with residents to set up a water distribution station in the community.
Scientific Testing: It was noted that there was a strong concern related to the safety of the water and ash so UMD immediately began and continues to do extensive water and ash testing with the commitment to provide the results immediately to the community and then to the public and interested scientist and groups. We are working to set up air quality testing.
Community Organizing: Following the lead of the Harriman community UMD is working side by side with residents to organize community meetings and offering many resources in regards to community organizing.
Medical Testing: After the first community meeting there was interest in toxicity testing and UMD began working with a local toxicologist to offer testing. Thanks to the many donations of groups and individuals UMD raised $15,000 to have 30 individuals tested for heavy metals.
Documentation: Citizens are concerned about how TVA is cleaning up the disaster site. UMD is working with locals to document the cleanup operations in their community through video and photographs which are being shared at dirtycoaltva.blogspot.com
Media: UMD is also networking impacted community members with media outlets. For more information about media efforts please contact us at umdvolunteerhouse@yahoo.com
UMD is motivated by concern for the immediate and long term impacts of this disaster and hopes to utilize the skills and contacts developed over years to benefit those who are impacted both now and in the future. By monitoring and providing independent lab results UMD hopes to motivate Tennessee Valley Authority and the Environmental Protection Agency to become more open and transparent with their own tests and results and to provide for the needs of the people impacted by this disaster.
