Skip to Main Content

Subscribe to OnEarth | RSS

Chris Irwin: Citizen Reporter

Chris Irwin works with United Mountain Defense and writes for their blog.

Show full profile

Footage of Widow's Creek TVA Spill

On January 9th, United Mountain Defense volunteers went to Widow's Creek the day of a 10,000 gallon sludge spill to do some on-site water testing. This is their story.

Comments (0) | January 29, 2009
Heavy Metal Testing in Harriman
UMD found out that apparently there is a window from which after initial exposure to arsenic and heavy metals will no longer appear in the blood, urine etc. UMD found out about this window and put together a clinic with a professional lab to come and draw blood, nails, etc. The nails set a baseline for exposure in the previous two months which is important as well. In three days the environmental community kicked down $13,000 to make sure that families already damaged economically by their land values plummeting and unexpected disaster related expenses would not have to be further burdened by having to come up with $500 for test. TVA did not contribute a thin dime.

As of today TVA has offered no free comprehensive medical examinations for heavy metal exposure to the impacted residents of its disaster.
...read full post

Comments (0) | January 22, 2009

TVA Piping Coal Ash Straight into Emory River

This is a video of one of the UMD field persons showing how TVA is straight piping coal ash scum directly into the Emory River. It really makes no sense that they would go to the trouble of putting a boom up to keep the scum from getting into the river then they pump it directly into the river from where they catch it.

Comments (2) | January 16, 2009

Report and Photos from Second TVA Coal Ash Spill

United Mountain Defense scouts just got back from Widows Creek, site of the Tennessee Valley Authority's second coal ash spill in under a month. Here's the report from the field, with photos.
January 10th, 2009
Day two of our work at Widows Creek yielded more samples, photographs, and confrontations with security. James and I arrived in Stevenson, AL around 2:30pm and, remembering our paths from yesterday, took a labyrinth of back roads to bypass police blockades. A security truck followed us for a couple of miles as we drove straight to the private drive leading to our new friend's house, on private land bordered by Widows Creek and TVA property.
The area was crawling with security vehicles, patrol boats, and helicopters. We were met by the owner's brother-in-law, who had just returned from an unsuccessful hunting trip in the nearby woods. He said a helicopter had followed him as he walked and had hovered directly overhead, dangerously close ...read full post

Comments (0) | January 14, 2009
Interviews With Victims of TVA Coal Ash Disaster

In these videos, local residents of Harriman, TN describe the damage to the land caused by the TVA coal sludge spill. Part one, TVA's slow and insufficient response and loss of credibility:

Part two, how the land and people of Harriman have been affected by the spill: