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A bottom-ash pond
may seem like an improbable site for an industrial facility. But to
Appalachian Products Inc., the location at TVA’s John Sevier Fossil
Plant looked like prime real estate. Appalachian processes the ash from
the plant and transforms it into a lightweight aggregate that’s
an ingredient in the concrete blocks it produces.
Officially opened in November 1999, the ash-processing plant represents
TVA’s latest success in finding uses for the by-products from its
fossil plants—fly ash, bottom ash, gypsum, and boiler slag from
cyclone units. Over 40 percent of the five million tons of by-products
produced by TVA plants each year are sold for beneficial reuse.
TVA helps prevent
pollution in other ways as well. At its nuclear facilities, operational
improvements have significantly decreased the production of hazardous
and radioactive wastes. In fact, the Institute for Nuclear Power Operations
has recognized TVA as an industry leader in low-level radioactive waste
reduction, thanks to its efforts in the areas of employee education,
source reduction, and offsite-vendor reduction.
In its transmission operations, TVA has removed PCB (polychlorinated
biphenyl) from almost all of the large equipment in its switchyards
and substations. At nearly half of its transmission sites, it has also
implemented new oil-containment standards that will help prevent spillage.
In addition to all this, TVA conducts a large-scale recycling program
at its major office facilities. And in 1999, as part of its affirmative-procurement
program, the agency redirected $6 million worth of purchases to products
containing recycled materials.
It’s actions and choices like these that make pollution prevention
and waste reduction business as usual at TVA.
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In response to recent increases in measured ozone, TVA has formed a
partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
the University of Tennessee, the National Park Service, and other agencies
to work on the East Tennessee Ozone Study. The study’s goal is
to develop an accurate air-quality forecasting system that can help
researchers determine whether local measures and emissions restrictions
are succeeding in reducing concentrations of ozone, or whether changes
at the regional or national level are called for.
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