Oak Ridge Today

Tonight: Learn about microplastics in Tennessee River

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Martin Knoll

You can learn about water quality and microplastics in the Tennessee River during a meeting in Oak Ridge tonight (Thursday, June 6).

The program is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Thursday at the University of Tennessee Arboretum Auditorium. It’s a free program offered by the UT Arboretum Society and co-sponsored by Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning. No registration is required.

Microplastics have been in the news recently, a press release said. Martin Knoll, a professor of geology and hydrology at Sewanee: The University of the South, will explain why microplastics are an issue, and he will present his findings on the water quality of the Tennessee River during the program this evening.

As project manager for the Tenneswim in 2016, Knoll directed the most detailed analysis of Tennessee River water quality ever conducted, the press release said. During this project, Knoll and his colleagues found the highest levels of microplastics recorded in any river of the world to date.

[Read more…]

After 80 years, Norris Dam added to National Register of Historic Places

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TVA-Norris-Dam-National-Register-of-Historic-Places-1

TVA’s Norris Dam was named to the National Register of Historic Places—just in time for the 80th anniversary of the day the dam began operations. TVA celebrated July 28-30, 2016. Norris is the first TVA-built dam to achieve this honor, which was presented to TVA historian Pat Ezzell, left, by U. S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann at a special dinner held at the dam on Thursday, July 28, 2016. (Photo by Tennessee Valley Authority)

 

By Tennessee Valley Authority

One of East Tennessee’s most iconic energy sources, and a popular tourist and recreation destination, is officially now a protected American historic resource.

The National Park Service has added majestic Norris Dam, which extends 1,860 feet across the Clinch River in East Tennessee, to the National Register of Historic Places.

U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann presented TVA Historian Pat Ezzell the plaque that will be prominently displayed at Norris Dam. Fleischmann bestowed the plaque at a July 28 dinner that celebrated the 80th anniversary of initial operation of TVA’s first hydro project.

Norris Dam is the first TVA dam to receive recognition on the National Registry. It and the nearby town of Norris both are named for George Norris, the Nebraska senator who authored the TVA Act. He also is known as the father of the Tennessee Valley Authority. [Read more…]

Generator part weighing 200 tons shipped from Shawnee to Kingston

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TVA Generator Stator on Barge

A 200-ton stator, the stationary component of an electric generator, being shipped by barge from a TVA plant in Shawnee, Kentucky, to another one in Kingston, Tennessee. (Photos courtesy TVA)

 

Submitted

KINGSTON—The holiday tradition of gift giving came a bit early this year for the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant due to the generosity of a sister TVA plant in Shawnee, Kentucky. And, though it wasn’t Santa performing the delivery, the 200-ton generator stator made a significant journey involving the hard work of many.

During a maintenance outage at Kingston Unit 1, the existing stator—the stationary component of an electric generator—was determined to be beyond repair. Designed and built more than 50 years ago, modern replacement components aren’t available, so the Kingston team was looking at the possibility of a complete generator replacement.

When the TVA team at Shawnee heard about the challenges at Kingston, they realized they had the perfect “gift.” Unit 10 at the Shawnee plant was retired four years ago, but had the same Siemens-Westinghouse generator as Kingston, and it was still in operating condition. [Read more…]

Federal spending bill includes money for Y-12 water plant, reduces UPF spending

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Y-12 Water Treatment Plant Announcement

In May 2013, state and federal officials announce a plant to treat mercury-contaminated water at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Pictured from left are Mark Whitney, Robert Martineau, Lamar Alexander, Dave Huizenga, and Stan Meiburg.

The $1 trillion federal spending bill passed by Congress last week provides money for a water treatment plant that would help reduce mercury contamination in Oak Ridge, and it includes less money for the Uranium Processing Facility than President Obama had requested, Sen. Lamar Alexander said Thursday.

The U.S. Senate approved the spending bill in a 72-26 vote after the House passed it 359-67. Alexander and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann voted for it, while Sen. Bob Corker voted against it. All are Tennessee Republicans, and Fleischmann’s district includes Oak Ridge.

Alexander said the spending bill provides $16 million less than Obama had requested in his budget for the UPF, a multi-billion-dollar building that would replace old buildings at the Y-12 National Security Complex as part of a years-long effort to update the 811-acre site, consolidate operations, and cut the plant’s high-security “footprint” from 150 acres to 15. [Read more…]

TVA releasing dam water to reduce Tennessee River flooding

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The Tennessee Valley Authority on Wednesday said it is working to move large volumes of water—as much as one million gallons per second in some places—along the Tennessee River system to reduce potentially damaging flooding from record rainfall.

TVA said it prepared for this event by lowering reservoir levels on the main channel of the Tennessee River beginning the last week of June, leaving some areas below normal for this time of year. [Read more…]

Motive unknown for Sunday shooting at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant; suspect could be male

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Watts Bar Nuclear Plant

Watts Bar Nuclear Plant

A Tennessee Valley Authority spokesman declined to speculate on a motive for a Sunday morning shooting at the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in Rhea County, but he said the suspect could be a male wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt with a hood.

Other than that, officials have little information on the suspect, who appears to have fled in a small boat, TVA spokesman Jim Hopson said Monday.

“It was difficult to provide any kind of description,” he said.

The unidentified man was spotted by a nuclear security officer at about 2 a.m. Sunday. The guard was on a routine patrol in a pickup truck on the perimeter of the 1,700-acre plant. As the officer came around a curve, the truck’s headlights illuminated a person on the shore of the Tennessee River, on the eastern side of the plant and near its southern boundary. [Read more…]

TVA: Suspect shoots at security officer at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, officer shoots back

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Watts Bar Nuclear Plant

An unidentified suspect fired on a security officer at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant near Spring City early Sunday morning, and the officer fired back. No one was injured, and the suspect fled. (Photo courtesy of TVA)

An unidentified suspect fired multiple rounds at a security officer on patrol at the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant early Sunday morning, and at least one round hit the security officer’s vehicle, an official said.

The Tennessee Valley Authority nuclear security officer fired back, also shooting multiple rounds.

The suspect appeared to have initially been on the ground but may have fled in a boat, TVA spokesman Jim Hopson said.

The shots were fired just after 2 a.m. this morning on the east side of the 1,700-acre plant, near the Tennessee River, toward the plant’s southern boundary, TVA said. The officer was several hundred yards outside the protected area where the reactor and power equipment are located. [Read more…]