There has been a major mining slurry accident in W. Virginia that is spilling coal mining tailings into the Big Sandy River, then into the Ohio River. The accident is in Martin County. I heard it on the shortwave last night. My son did some research and found it on www.coasttocoast.com, under the Quickening News. The story is being released widely in Canada, but not the USA. The man on the shortwave said the tailing contain nickel, cadmium, lead and magnitite. He also said the local EPA that is dealing with this called it an American Chernobyl. I don't know if it is that bad, but they did say the contamination could last as long as 25 years. If my water source was the Ohio River, I don't think I'd drink anything but bottled water for a while.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), October 17, 2000

Answers

Yes Green, and we have a nucluer waste spill in this area also. A company doing research on how to dispose of nucluer waste dicovered a crack in their water storage unit. It is leakng 250 gallons into a river near here. They are scared to slow it down or stop it. This could be the same story--but this one is leaking into the James River near Covington, WV.

Beware of Nucluer Scientists--they are smart enough to make it run but when to comes to stopping it ? they turn up dumber than a box of rocks !

-- Joel Rosen (Joel681@webtv.net), October 17, 2000.

Green-Last Wednesday, there was a break in an inpoundment at Martin County Coal Company in Inez, Kentucky. It spilled a estimated 200 million gallons of slurry into an underground mine then into the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River, which borders West Virginia. The EPA turned off water intakes from the Tug Fork on both sides of the river. BTW- There is no Martin County in West Virginia and I would never even consider drinking any water from the Ohio to begin with. Joel- Don't you live around Roanoke? The James is not in West Virginia. About 40 miles from Roanoke is the town of Covington, Virginia. There is a papermill there. There is also the Jackson River, which empties into the James. I live about 15 miles from Covington,"as the crow flies." I haven't heard of any spills, but who knows for sure when WESTVACO is involved. Could be any number of sources. I checked the archives and todays news with The Roanoke Times. Nothing is listed. My dad grew up in Covington. He rembers when the river ran brown and foamy all year. Not as bad now, but far from pristine.

-- Terri Perry (stuperry@stargate.net), October 17, 2000.

Yes, you got the right river, the James River--about 20 miles from here. Covington is on the West Virginia border. It was a private research company --not westvaco this time. I heard about it on 93.5 a local FM station last week. I haven't heard anything further. I thought that was strange but than again we are at peak tourist season for fall camping and leaf colors.

-- Joel Rosen (Joel681@webtv.net), October 18, 2000.

Sorry I got the county wrong. The reception had a lot of static. I think it might be owned by Martin County Coal Company. Anyway, the caller on the radio show stated the cities downstream that had their water intakes in the Ohio were still pumping water from the river. Not good.

What is interesting to me is the national news isn't covering this or the leak Joel referred to. Seems to me this is much more important news than most of the crap they put on the network news programs.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), October 18, 2000.

Martin County Coal Company is owned by the great A.T. Massey. According to the article in the Charleston Gazette, A. T. Massey was warned long ago that the dam was in trouble. They have also been fined several times for repeated violations. My dad was a coal company executive for several companies over the years. He has been retired since the age of 55. He is now very "green". When he was working, the theory was- it is cheaper to the company to pay the fines they are given for the few violations they are actually cited for than to "correct" or "prevent" the problems. My, how he has changed with age! The end to coal is here. It is about time. This Earth has been ruined by big business long enough.

-- Terri Perry (stuperry@stargate.net), October 18, 2000.

My word Green, you can't be serious about the news. If I can't hear the latest about Madonna's love life I just get antsy. Why who cares that the markets are down 30%, as long as I know what the Buffalo Bills ate before last weeks game. Indeed, I should think you would be a bit more grateful that the press allows you to hear the latest propa.. excuse me, government press releases. It's a public service you know. They pick and choose for us so we don't have to bother with silly details and judging who's lying about what. Now you have more time to garden and so forth...so just go on out to the yard, and leave the hard work for the pros. They'll let you know what you need to know.(Tongue planted firmly in cheek)

-- Ed Weaver (edzreal@postmaster.co.uk), October 18, 2000.

Green, Thanks for the post, here is another on WV.

Gee, Don't breathe or drink the water...This to is in todays news. More people die from West Virginia air; than from drunk drivers?? Why doesn't the governors shut off the coal power plants.

The highest per capita death impacts were found in coal states such as Kentucky, where 44.1 people die per 100,000 adults; West Virginia with 43.3 deaths per 100,000 adults; and Alabama with 42.8 deaths per 100,000 adults. Pollution from dirty power plants poses a serious threat to public health, said Conrad Schneider, advocacy director of the Clean Air Task Force. More people die as a result of the pollution from these plants every year than from drunk driving or homicides, societal woes that everyone agrees are top priorities. Adverse health effects from soot pollution include asthma attacks, cardiac problems and upper and lower respiratory problems  maladies affecting hundreds of thousands of Americans. The elderly, children and those with respiratory diseases are most vulnerable to soot pollution, the study found.

-- James (triquest@about.com), October 18, 2000.

Here is the link for the news article: http://cbc.ca/cp/world/001016/w101676.html The news release is from Canada. And I agree, our "news" people only want what it best for us and that is not to have to worry about what is real and important in the world.

My former husband worked for a lignite strip mine/generating company. They also felt it was cheaper to pay the fines than to do it right. They even have the nerve to put up signs over their reclamation areas asking "Can you tell this land has been mined?" Well, it has been reclaimed, but it looks more like northern Kansas than East Texas. Yes--you can tell it's been mined.

If this water situation is as bad as the caller on the radio says it is, there will be a lot of people hurting for water for a long time.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), October 18, 2000.