Kentucky Hams Help in Wake of Coal Sludge Spill
NEWINGTON, CT, Oct 19, 2000--Amateur Radio operators in eastern Kentucky are helping their neighbors to cope with a lack of drinking water in the wake of a coal sludge spill that has cut off water supplies. More than 200 million gallons of coal waste flooded waterways without warning October 11 after a coal plant retention pond near Inez gave way.
An aerial view of the coal sludge spill in
Martin County, Kentucky. |
The resulting pollution--described as being the consistency of wet cement or molasses--has forced communities in the path of the spill to close water intakes and rely on existing water supplies. By last evening, the flow was just north of the confluence of the Big Sandy and Ohio Rivers near Catlettsburg.
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service has not yet been activated, but ARES remains on stand-by to provide emergency communication, if needed. Section Emergency Coordinator Ron Dodson, KA4MAP, says the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management has requested Amateur Radio assistance in Martin County, where the spill originated. He anticipated that Amateur Radio communication assistance would "very likely be essential" there.
In Lawrence County, Emergency Coordinator Fred Jones, WA4SWF, says hams are helping to supplement communication among the different agencies involved whose radios operate on a variety of different frequencies. But Jones says the primary need has been making sure affected residents have water to drink, cook, and bathe with.
"The water that we're taking out is in gallon jugs," Jones said. He estimated that upwards of 4000 gallons had been distributed by volunteers in his county alone.
"We're just delivering the water via our private vehicles to the locations needed, and, of course, we can use Amateur Radio communications among ourselves just to keep up with each other," he said.
Kentucky Gov Paul Patton declared a state of emergency Monday in a large portion of northeastern Kentucky. Affected are the counties of Boyd, Bracken, Carter, Fleming, Greenup, Lawrence, Lewis, Martin, Mason, and Robertson--all lying within the Big Sandy and Ohio River watersheds. Patton visited Martin and Lawrence counties this week to survey the damage and to check on the relief efforts now under way.
Jones was involved with the effort to install a temporary pipeline has been run upriver from the spill to supply clean water from the Levisa River to the water treatment plant in Louisa. "I worked with the pipeline and pump system last night, and at 8 PM we got it going, pumping water from 1-1/2 miles up the Levisa River to the water plant." Jones predicted that it would take some time to get the water plant cleaned up and operating again, however. He said today that another temporary line will be run across the river to affected communities in West Virginia.
While the cleanup is under way, fire is a big concern, according to Jones. "That is the big thing they're worrying about. Our storage tanks are low," he said. "If we have a fire here, we're going to have a pretty big problem." He says water can't be pumped from the contaminated river for fear the sludge will stop up the pumps on the fire equipment.
Another worry is the possibility of bad weather. "If we have a big rain right now, it will back that river up big time and flood all these people," Jones predicted.
Several different agencies, including the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management and local fire and sheriff's departments, are working to resolve the situation. "We have a good standing agreement and good working relations with our Division of Emergency Management in the State of Kentucky and here in Lawrence County," Jones said, adding that he's been working closely with state and local officials.
But the situation is not pretty. "Close to 300 million gallons of this stuff has dumped into Wolf Creek in Martin County, and that's gone into the Tug River and into our area," Jones said. Schools were back in session in Louisa today, but Jones said he expected classes would again be suspended.
An official of the US Environmental Protection Agency said the coal sludge spill is one of the largest environmental disasters ever in the southeastern US. Jones said damage is widespread. "We've had an awful lot of destruction to property and to people's homes, their vehicles, this stuff is just laying in your yard, it's two or three inches thick--in some places its three foot thick," he said, "and you can't get out there and hose it off or do anything with it. It has to be scooped up."
The State of Kentucky has ordered Martin County Coal Corp to assume responsibility for the spill, which also destroyed some bridges and sections of highway. "I've heard people say it could go $100 million," Jones said.