"Utility Will Remove Coal Ash From Pits Near Tennessee River"

"NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The nation’s largest public utility on Thursday agreed to dig up and remove about 12 million cubic yards (9.2 million cubic meters) of coal ash from unlined pits at a Tennessee coal-burning power plant.

Prompted by two environmental groups, the state sued the Tennessee Valley Authority in 2015 over pollution from coal ash dumps at the Gallatin Fossil Plant. According to court filings, pollutants leach from the ash into the groundwater and then enter the Cumberland River, a source of drinking water for Nashville.

The cleanup is expected to cost about $640 million and be finished by the year 2040."

Travis Loller reports for the Associated Press June 13, 2019.