The TVA Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill occurred just before 1 a.m. on Monday December 22, 2008, when an ash dike broke at a 84-acre (0.34 km2) solid waste containment area at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane County, Tennessee.

The TVA and Environmental Protection Agency initially estimated that the spill released 1.7 million cubic yards (1.3 million m³) of sludge, which is gray in color. After an aerial survey, the official estimate was more than tripled to 5.4 million cubic yards (4 million m³) on December 25, 2008. The spill covered surrounding land with up to six feet (2 m) of sludge.

There is a touch of irony here. In the past, fly ash was generally released into the atmosphere, but pollution control equipment mandated in recent decades now require that it be captured prior to release.

The slate blue areas are the ash slurry that fills the retention area and covers areas to the north and east outside the breached dike.
🔗Personal-Album-272-Image-32312[linkphoto]Personal-Album-272-Image-32312[/linkphoto][/link]
A weir is being constructed on the Emory River to contain and retain coal fly ash sediment that entered the river following a dike failure at the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant on December 22, 2008. Ash will be dredged to remove it from the Emory River following completion of the weir construction.
🔗Personal-Album-272-Image-32313[linkphoto]Personal-Album-272-Image-32313[/linkphoto][/link]
More than 60 pieces of large equipment have been used to remove coal fly ash from roadways and railroad tracks near the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant.
🔗Personal-Album-272-Image-32314[linkphoto]Personal-Album-272-Image-32314[/linkphoto][/link]
🔗Personal-Album-272-Image-32315[linkphoto]Personal-Album-272-Image-32315[/linkphoto][/link]
🔗Personal-Album-272-Image-32316[linkphoto]Personal-Album-272-Image-32316[/linkphoto][/link]
🔗Personal-Album-272-Image-32317[linkphoto]Personal-Album-272-Image-32317[/linkphoto][/link]

---

Jeez just been trying to get my head round the volume..... Enormous....

---

Yes, those photos don't really show the scale and damage caused.

---

That's a big one but tailings dams burst with alarming regularity

http://www.wise-uranium.org/mdaf.html 

---

You are quite right of course and on the subject of mining environmental problems the Iron Mountain Mine is interesting. The drainage water from the Mine is the most acidic water naturally found on Earth. Some is difficult to believe. A PH of 1! from this flume.
🔗Iron-Mountain-Copper-Mine-User-Album-Image-32321[linkphoto]Iron-Mountain-Copper-Mine-User-Album-Image-32321[/linkphoto][/link]

---

After a small incident in Brazil (2007?), Imerys made a major investigation into slurry dam design in the area. I am not sure of the outcome, but I am sure concrete was involved. Trouble is that many of these dams are earth built in areas of high water erosion (rain and river). Are these covered in the mountain of legislation in the Mines and quarries acts? Probably case of cost vs expected useful life of dam means concrete is an expensive solution.

---

Tailings dams are covered in the UK by the M&Q Act and there are a mountain of paperwork etc to go with it.

A small dam at Glebe Mines, Derbyshire overflowed a couple of years back, and some interesting coloured water flowed through Stoney Middleton, upsetting some locals.

I was told by a Mines Inspector who visited the area, that when it came to compensation all the fridges etc would be full of caviar etc ....

---