Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) will visit TVA’s Kingston Fossil Plant on Monday.

His office said he will get a firsthand view of the ash spill and receive a briefing on clean-up and recovery efforts.

And, Erin Brockovich, a famous whistleblower who was portrayed by Julia Roberts in a movie, is due to visit the site, according to the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Ms. Brockovich, who lives in California, said she will bring along environmental experts with her.

The 48-year-old mother of three now works as a television host.

She wrote on her blog:

"Coal fly ash. It sounds like someone has been burning fly poop or airborne coal. But seriously, it is akin to the creosote that coated those chimneys and chimneysweep boys of Charles Dickens' ancient London.

"Fly ash comes from chimneys, specifically the chimneys of power plants. The collection point determines exactly what kind of ash it is. Fly ash apparently contains silicon dioxide and calcium oxide as well as trace concentrations of heavy metals. In other words, coal ash is nasty stuff to have floating around in your river, air and drinking water."

Earlier, TVA officials said all results from each agency testing public water supplies "have consistently indicated that municipal drinking water supplies are safe" after a huge breach of a coal ash containment retention wall at TVA’s Kingston Fossil Plant at Harriman.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and TVA continue to be involved in sampling activities, it was stated.

EPA officials said, "Current environmental data from surface water sampling indicates that several heavy metals are present in the surface water slightly above drinking water standards in the area of the spill, but not in the area of the Kingston water supply intake. Drinking water standards are designed to be conservative, and results to date are below concentrations EPA knows to be harmful to humans. One sample of river water out of numerous samples taken indicated an elevated level of arsenic. However, arsenic has been found to be naturally occurring in the environment and further investigation is in progress. Arsenic was not detected in samples taken close to the Kingston Water Intake. Unless people regularly drink untreated river water, the arsenic should not cause any adverse health effects. Surface water sample results in the area of the drinking water intakes did not indicate standards exceedances, but sampling will continue.

"EPA and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation continue to sample drinking water wells, municipal water, soils, river water and river sediment. Response officials are currently evaluating the potential for health effects associated with dust from dry fly ash material, and both EPA and TVA have begun monitoring for levels of fly ash in the air."

Each agency is using certified labs for analysis, including EPA’s facility in Athens, Ga., the state of Tennessee lab in Nashville and independent certified labs in Maryville and Mt. Juliet, officials said.

Also, TVA said an Outreach Center is opening Tuesday at 509 North Kentucky St. in Kingston to offer help to affected residents.

A rock weir about 615 feet long is being built on the Emory River just north of the existing intake skimmer weir to try to contain the floating ash. A second rock weir that is 2,000 feet long has been designed.

An overview of each agency’s most recent water sampling data follows quoting TVA.

TDEC Data Update

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation has received additional water sample results for both treated drinking water and untreated river water collected at the Kingston and Rockwood water treatment plants. All treated drinking water results are well within drinking water standards, indicating both municipal water supplies are safe.

The sample of untreated river water collected on Dec. 24 had an aluminum concentration slightly above the secondary drinking water standard of 0.20 milligrams/Liter. Aluminum is naturally occurring in clay and this value would be reduced by the treatment process. Secondary drinking water standards are non-enforceable guidelines regulating contaminants in treated drinking water that may cause cosmetic or aesthetic effects.

Additional results from both Kingston and Rockwood collected on Dec. 31 also indicate that all treated drinking water results are well within both primary and secondary drinking water standards. All untreated water collected also met the drinking water standards for metals prior to treatment.

The department is also sampling private drinking water wells in a four mile radius of the site. So far, samples have been collected from approximately 40 private properties. Residents in this area whose would like their well tested may call 865-717-4006.

All results from Department of Environment and Conservation sampling are posted on the department’s website at www.tn.gov/environment. The site will continue to be updated with new results as they come in. The website also now contains some historical data obtained from TVA on ash sampling from the years 1990, 1992, 1995 and 2005.

EPA Data Update

EPA has preliminary data for the fly ash samples collected on the undisturbed portion of the fly ash dredge cell as well as the disturbed portion of fly ash material. Residents are not currently in direct exposure to this material found at elevated levels, and therefore are not subject to a direct health threat from the fly ash material being measured onsite.

Ash samples from the roadway adjacent to the fly ash dredge cell were also taken. This preliminary data shows that some arsenic levels detected exceed EPA residential removal action levels at 40 mg/kg, but are still well below EPA industrial removal action levels at 177 mg/kg. TVA has taken full responsibility for cleanup and engaged the necessary resources to ensure the fly ash material will be cleaned up appropriately under state and federal oversight.

EPA conducted municipal water intake sampling at the Kingston, Cumberland and Rockwood facilities. Preliminary data indicate that no elevated levels of contaminants were found in the municipal water intake.

EPA also conducted testing of four private drinking water wells along Swan Pond Road in the impacted area on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2008.

Preliminary data indicates that no elevated level of contaminants were found in the four private drinking water wells sampled.

Surface water and sediment sampling data from Dec. 23, 2008 was posted on Jan. 2, 2009 and is the same data that was earlier reported stating that an elevated level of arsenic was found in the Emory River. This data also indicated that an elevated level of arsenic was found in one sediment sample taken on the Emory River. There have been no indications, to date, showing that drinking water has been affected by the fly ash material. The advice issued earlier from the Joint Information Center on potential health effects from exposure to the fly ash material addressed the issue of these elevated levels of arsenic found on Dec. 23, 2008.

EPA sample results are being posted as they become available at http://www.epaosc.org/doc_list.asp?site_id=4642.

TVA Data Update

TVA has received data from a number of locations for Dec. 22, 23, 26 and 29. Results indicate that raw water samples taken at the city of Kingston Water Treatment Plant are within standards for treated drinking water for metal contaminants.

At the Kingston power plant site, water samples taken on Dec. 22 at the release area in the Emory River contained high amounts of suspended material following the ash release. Repeat testing on Dec. 23, 26 and 29 at the power plant site showed amounts of suspended material is trending downwards. The levels for metals met state requirements for protection of fish and aquatic life or were below lab detection limits. Results from other sites sampled on the Clinch and Tennessee River portions of Watts Bar Reservoir show metal contaminants at levels that meet requirements for safe drinking water or were below detection limits.

These sample results can be found on the testing results page. Both total metals and dissolved metals are reported for the samples. Dissolved metals reflect only the metals that have dissolved within the water column.

Community Assistance

TVA said it "continues to assist residents affected by the incident and has scheduled meetings with homeowners to answer their questions and listen to their concerns. TVA has activated a 1-800 number that property owners should call if they need an assessment of property damages.

"An Outreach Center is opening Tuesday, January 6, at 509 North Kentucky Street in Kingston. The center will be open the first week Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays."

All other members of the public should continue to use 865-717-4006 with their questions or concerns.
Roadway and Railway Cleanup

Public access on Swan Pond Road past the Kingston plant remains closed except for construction use. Safety is the priority for anyone entering the area. Currently, there is no estimate for when the road will reopen for public use, it was stated.

All rail and ties have now been removed. TVA is now beginning the process of rebuilding the railroad base.

Air Monitoring

Air Monitoring continues with both mobile air quality testing and at five residential locations in the community near the plant. Nearly 500 mobile air quality tests have been performed. Air quality remains good, officials said. Concentrations of air particulates remain below levels of concern, it was stated.

Soil Sampling

TVA has taken off-site soil samples to test for toxic metals in areas where there were ash deposits. The results are being compared to the data for the ash that was known to be in the ash pond prior to the spill and to regulatory standards for hazardous materials. The results will be released as soon as they are available.

Emory and Clinch Rivers

The Emory River remains closed from mile marker zero through mile marker 4. The Kingston Fossil Plant Boat Ramp and fishing area has also been closed due to large equipment being moved into the area for clean-up. Coast Guard and TVA Police marine units are assisting with security in the area.

Work is complete on a rock weir built on the Emory River, just north of the existing intake skimmer weir. The weir is about 615 feet long. The weir will allow water to continue flowing, but will contain the ash. TVA is coordinating with the Corps of Engineers to address the dredging process on the Emory River in the vicinity of the release.

A second weir has been designed and when complete will confine the ash and keep it from entering the river during the river dredging process. This approximately 2,000-foot rock weir will extend from Swan Pond Circle south to the plant river bank.

General Information

Two of the nine units at Kingston are now operating. The other seven units are shut down due to reduced demand for electricity as the relatively mild weather remains in the Tennessee Valley.