COLBERT COUNTY, AL (WAFF) -
An environmental group is making serious allegations about TVA and coal waste contamination in the Shoals.
The Southern Environmental Law Center said TVA is violating the Clean Water Act.
Several environmental groups said the pollutants include arsenic, lead
and selenium. They said the pollutants are getting into the main
tributary of the Tennessee River in Colbert County.
"Some of these
substances are carcinogens, arsenic of course is very poisonous," said
Charles Rose.
Rose is the president of
the Shoals Environmental Alliance.
He believes TVA has been
aware of this problem long before they filed these allegations.
"TVA's own
documentation shows that they're aware of these illegal discharges,
additionally Tennessee River Keeper has taken water samples and have been
tested, and there have been incredibly high levels of iron, lead, arsenic,"
said Rose.
He said TVA is allowing
seepage into groundwater from two different unlined storage ponds. It's a
problem he said needs to be stopped.
"This is over one
million tons of toxic material in an unlined ash pond, discharges into the
creek, and runs into the Tennessee River," he said.
TVA officials have 60 days
to respond to the notice.
Rose hopes ADHEM and EPA will
also step in.
"TVA does have in
their charter they're required to be an environmental steward, and we think TVA
should step up and do something about this problem," he said.
The Southern Environmental Law Center said failure to fix the problem will lead to a lawsuit.
TVA officials said they
did receive the notification letter, and they're currently reviewing the
allegations.
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