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Obeying
rules and regulations is always a top priority at TVA
 In
2000 TVA experienced 45 Reportable Environmental Events (REEs), a number
down slightly from the previous year’s 48. REEs, which may include
overflows or small releases of oil (in quantities that can produce a
sheen on water), are serious enough to trigger notifications to federal
or state agencies or notices of violation from regulators. Of
the 45 reported events, 38 (85 percent) involved oil releases, effluent
exceedances, and wastewater bypasses—the majority of which occurred
at TVA’s power generation facilities. The three REEs that had the
greatest potential effect on the environment are described in detail
here.
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chart for raw data.
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Reportable Environmental
Events
In the first, a transformer failure at the Wilson substation in Tennessee
caused several thousand liters of mineral oil to spill inside the facility.
Approximately 7,600 liters (2,000 gallons) of oil was captured by the
oil-spill containment pond, but the bay placed around the transformer
when it was built did not prevent another 49,000 liters (13,000 gallons)
of oil from seeping into the fractured limestone beneath the transformer.
TVA workers and contractors recovered the accessible oil and removed
the contaminated soil according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
guidelines, coordinating their efforts with those of the Tennessee Department
of Environment and Conservation and the EPA. As a result of this event,
TVA will place larger, more effective containment bays around its major
power transformers to control fluid leaks and prevent similar mishaps
in the future.
The second REE
involved an oil sheen produced by a release of insulating oil that occurred
when a main transformer at TVA’s Colbert Plant in Alabama overheated.
About 3,800 liters (1,000 gallons) of oil was released through the pressure-relief
valve. The oil entered the transformer’s storm-drainage system
and its oil-water separator, but a small quantity of oil (approximately
760 liters, or 200 gallons) was discharged into Cane Creek. The vegetation
in the storm-drainage ditches absorbed most of the released oil, and
the site was cleaned up in compliance with regulatory standards. To
reduce the risk of a recurrence, TVA has increased the number of equipment
inspections performed at its facilities.
In the third REE,
which occurred at TVA’s Hiwassee Hydropower Plant, a fuel tank
slid off a forklift and overturned while being transported, spilling
about 280 liters (75 gallons) of diesel fuel onto Hiwassee Dam Road
and into the highway drain. Cleanup efforts kept the fuel from reaching
the waterway, and an investigation resulted in a revised fueling procedure.
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Last year TVA also
discovered an event that wasn’t a 2000 REE: a previously unreported
spill of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) that occurred at the agency’s
Guntersville Hydro Plant in 1986. An electrical bushing in the switchyard
failed that year and released approximately 57 liters (15 gallons) of
PCB in a 1,400-square-meter (15,400-square-foot) area. TVA discovered
this oversight in 2000, reported the event to the EPA, and cleaned up
the old spill. A review of maintenance records indicated that the agency
had replaced the faulty bushing and revised its operating-equipment
checklist and monitoring procedures to lessen the chance of a recurrence.
TVA is working
to curtail REEs in several ways. The agency maintains an internal REE
indicator that tracks individual occurrences. Employees at plants and
other facilities conduct quarterly assessments of the events; annual
audits are done by a central staff of Environmental Specialists. The
audits monitor environmental processes at TVA facilities and promote
compliance with local, state, and federal regulations. Since 1995, these
audit findings have decreased steadily. By taking a hard look at each
REE, TVA can identify opportunities to improve compliance and can take
corrective action to prevent a recurrence—at the site of the incident
and throughout TVA facilities in the seven-state power service area.
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Stay
Connected
See complete plant-by-
plant listing of TRI releases,
plus risk-assessment study information.
Find out about
two recent
lawsuits, one brought by the National Parks Conservation Association
and the other arising out of an administrative order issued by
the EPA. They bear close watching in the coming year.
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Just
the Facts About TRI
TVA reports to the government on 21 released chemicals that
may be hazardous to health.
Coming
Clean on Waste
TVA is committed to the reduction of all kinds of waste products
that arise from the production of power.
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“Compliance
with state and federal regulations is the standard yardstick by which
entities like TVA are measured. TVA has gone beyond requirements in
communicating its compliance plans by publicly pledging to reduce NOx
emissions throughout its system, to make these reductions early, and
to routinely report its progress to the Tennessee Air Pollution Control
Board. This speaks volumes about the agency’s commitment to providing
power reliably and responsibly.”
—Richard A. Bolton, Vice Chair, Tennessee Air Pollution Control
Board
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