ENV - Citations issued for Kentucky sludge spill from last year

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http://www.boston.com/dailynews/290/nation/MSHA_issues_two_citations_year:.shtml

MSHA issues two citations year after Kentucky sludge spill that buried lawns, killed fish

By Associated Press, 10/17/2001 18:14

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (AP) The company owning the mountaintop coal mine pond which spilled millions of gallons of black goo onto surrounding communities could have headed off the disaster, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration said Wednesday.

The Martin County Coal Co. failed to respond to indications that water and sludge were slowly leaking from the 70-acre impoundment into an underground mine beneath it, the MSHA said.

Investigators claim the company could have corrected the problem before it reached the magnitude of the Oct. 11, 2000, spill that dumped 300 million gallons of sludge into tributaries of the Big Sandy River, burying lawns up to 7 feet deep around Inez, killing fish and fouling drinking water.

MSHA also citied the company for failing to spread a layer of fine coal particles around the perimeter of the impoundment when it was built to prevent water from seeping out.

The company, which has spent more than $40 million to clean up the spill, could be fined up to $110,000 for the two violations. Martin County Coal spokesman Bill Marcum said the company plans to appeal.

-- Anonymous, October 17, 2001


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