TVA Coal Ash - Before and After

[14Treyk]

i remember that i was only 10 and i live in rockwood by the lake and 2 or or a couple more days later i walked down to the lake to find a film type stuff on the top and i asked my dad and he told me it was from the ash spill and a memory of where i first hunted duck with my dad was destroyed up at swan pond , and a few months ago me and my dad went up and saw all the houses that were bought out it was crazy when it all happened

[merryprankster60]

at the half way point, the titles read something like: "what if you were robbed of your lifestyle?" and "what if everything you worked for your entire life was gone overnight?" - well, that's pretty much what happened to Indigenous Peoples all over the world. Now it's happening to the descendents of the Colonizers. Feels pretty crappy, eh?

[MrMikehuntertz]

Why don't you find out who owns that place? Why don't you find the politicians paid to protect you? Why don't you buy a gun? Why don't you make it right? When will you realize that our gov't only cares for the rich?

[Mutsobutso]

mgtillyer,

I am so sorry you had to go through that. No one should and hopefully you were compensated an amount that allowed you and your family to find another idyllic place to bring up your family. I must say, I am not as outraged at your loss as I am for the environmental disaster this is and the fact that the conservatives in this country are doing their damndest to do away with regulation of big industry. Good luck to you and your family.

[Vickiealfonso]

I just learned of this today 5/12/2011. I am so sorry for everyone affected by such a horrific disaster! The town was absolutely gorgeous. Pristine. Then the TVA spill and what devastation! It looks like a third world country. Lord have mercy on us.

[proaudiohd]

We need to figure out fusion power plants already so we can quit burning coal

[1mealperday]

Best to recall the america that was as it changes so fast now. Crash coming very soon . Prepare.

[polidic]

0 news coverage here .. ZERO. This is the first time I've heard of this spill.

[mtillyer27]

Oh, tnnss111. My family no longer lives in the state. You enjoy the lake.

[tnnss111]

@mtillyer27

i still do ;)

[tnnss111]

The lake is fine. You will not have any problems if you swim in it or go boating. Dont take shit out of context and make things look worse than they are.

[tnnss111]

i was on your side until you started taking things out of context. TVA said the drinking water is ok. That is the water coming out of your faucet in your house not the lake water. You talk about arsenic being in the water then show where TVA said the sludge had high levels of arsenic. You are trying to make it look like TVA is saying the lake has a huge amount of arsenic in it when it does not. Drinking lake water was a bad idea before the spill and after it it didnt change anything with that.

[FireThunderTV]

I'm sure TVA knew about the breach, just like New Orleans knew about the levies weaknesses B4 they broke. They wanted 2destroy your lifestyle. I grew up in an upper middle class single-parent home. I've been homeless for 23 mos becuz my good 4nothin' stupid P.o.S. landlords Kelly & Eva Mahan & their wussy mama's boy son, Mark decided he needed a place 2 live more than I do! So I don't have alot of sympathy 4U becuz all UR worried about is getting back 2 swimming, boating &your property values.

[FireThunderTV]

Don't take me wrong. I do feel bad for you. But you obviously have tons of money & insurance, & have a very prestigious and privileged life so you can recover from this disaster. I on the other hand have credit so bad that nobody will rent to me, so I have no choice but to live in parking lots. My thoughtless, selfish "Christian" landlords destroyed my life worse than your life was destroyed. I live in parking lots. Every day I wake up is a reminder of what they did 2me. I HATE these people!

[FireThunderTV]

Yep, every day I can't go home & I have to use public facilities to shower, brush my teeth, & do everything else I need to do is a daily reminder of what my landlords did to me. I haven't had a good home-cooked meal in 23 months! Try living my life. It SUCKS! Everyone thinks I'm some kind of useless worthless garbage can to kick around. Whoever said "Life is good" was on crack. Life has never been good 2me! It's been down-right CRUEL!!! Life is only good to SOME people! Nice music, btw.

[pokeyj37846]

@FireThunderTV kill yourself. your not doing to bad , you still find a way to get on youtube and bitch and moan

[FireThunderTV]

Pokey: Wow. You're just as compassionate as my former p.o.s. landlords! The world would be SO MUCH better w/o a*holes like U& my former landlords! I already came close 2killing myself. Feel better now? Until you have been homeless going through the hell I've been through & am still going through, you have no place to talk! I don't need jerks like you making disgusting calloused remarks like this. You are a VERY sick and disturbed person. Have you seen a mental health professional lately?

[americaneagle1967]

no wonder my electric bill went up

[russelllove]

TVA. The demon. The destruction. Shame. Shame on them. Shame on Cumberland County and their Mayor Brock Hill for wanting to allow TVA to store this mess in the mountains there. Remember, everything flows down hill.

[crigsby87]

who sings this song at the beginning and at the end?

[mnmboys1]

The song is "Like a Star" by Corinne Bailey Rae. :-)

[mgtillyer]

Thank you to whoever sent me the CNN article that ran yesterday (july 13) under CNN's health section. My family has moved from the state (now residing in Colorado). I read people outside the "red zone" are also experiencing mysterious respiratory problems. Coincidence? I think not. If you haven't read the article, check out Anda Ray's comment - priceless. I love how she attempted to correct herself. Too late, honey. You got it right the first time.

[mgtillyer]

That song is "Unstoppable" by E.S. Posthumus - they do a lot of great, intense instrumental music

[f0nn1x]

this has to be illegal right? why isn't someone making TVA pay for its neglegence?

[mgtillyer]

It's complicated. TVA is a government corporation, supposedly governed by the EPA. The problem is since both TVA and the EPA are government entities - the EPA doesn't really have any measurable authority over the TVA. The EPA can't bring charges against the TVA in court, and they've been known to offer TVA waivers from government regs. It's quite, oh what's the word--corrupt? ridiculous? insane???

TVA bought out most of the residents in the "red zone" but folks in outside areas are screwed.

[Nash070]

If New Jersey is "an area where competition rules the pricing market" then yes, i have been to that area and it sucks!

[Nash070]

Ive been by the spill a few times and feel sorry for those effected, IMO i think TVA is going to do right by those effected

[HailDarkLord]

If they were going to "do right" they would have kept this from happening! In the opening weeks they claimed this and then the affected wildlife were caused by cold. Later they were cited on all sorts of violations. You are willing to side with and believe that a group/company/corporation such as the TVA is telling you the truth after they claimed 40,000 dead fish were a result "of cold weather this winter"? I guess they spontaneously regenerate each year because EVERY winter is cold!

[princessmegan789]

They actually did know about all this. I think they knew it was a matter of time before it happened because there were several leaks but they just decided to patch it up rather than fix the problem as a whole.

[mgtillyer]

AMEN!

[quaffer22]

If TVA broke [destroyed] it; they bought it.

[HailDarkLord]

You know what you are told if you didn't lose property or live in the spill itself... NOTHING. You do NOT see public disclosures and HUGE news reports on a daily basis. You see what good ol' boys are going to jail for drinking and doing something stupid. The TVA controls your water, power, gas, electric & any other utilities. They can AND HAVE added a 15% tax on all our utility bills. They are the area terrorists & need to be disbanded and competition allowed. DOWN THE TVA, the money hungry pigs

[HailDarkLord]

To NASH070, you are completely in the dark because you are one of those who have never been to an area where competition rules the pricing market. TVA has a complete monopoly in the area. NO they do NOT have the lowest prices in the country. I lived in 8 different sections of this country, and if you think it's cheaper here, you're way out there. Just close your computer and go back to sleep. We'll wake you up when it's a perfectly controlled world and RUSH is president. Oh yeah STFU yourself!

[HailDarkLord]

I live on Rt70, Lenoir City, TN. Anyone noticed that this just "went away" since the original damage has been covered? Closed areas, everyone is told, "it's safe now" but don't come near because "of safety concerns". Absolute BS by America's leading area monopoly TVA. I thought we had laws to stop this sort of company power abuse in an area of industry? Not down south! So Microsoft goes to court for cash fines, and gets sued, but the TVA national disaster gets silently investigated. ALL BS!

[lisajo1986]

Incredible. Can I get a copy of this video to use in my science classroom?

[mgtillyer]

Send me your email and I'll forward you the link to where you can either download a cd for free or purchase a dvd quality copy.

[jshgek34]

How can I get copy of that? My family holdsw their reunion in that area....I remember how it was. Like to be able show this to my son when he's older.

[mgtillyer]

jshegek34 - Send me your email address and I'll forward you the original link from the site where I made the video. You can download the video to a cd for free from the site.

[GaDove]

I can't believe this has not been called a federal emergency. The impact of the ash getting into the rivers and water supply is very scary. And I have yet to see any story on the TVA starting a clean up, providing emergency housing, clean water, etc...what about the damage to the wildlife and the environment? This is a loss for all of America - and especially for TN. What is the governor doing? Has he even made a statement yet?

[bobby401ca]

i live up here in british columbia. i had heard a story about this on cbc a few weeks back, and finaly found the time to watch some of the reports. first... i am speechless as to what has happened to these peoples lives and lifestyles, it will foreever be changed. second, what is happening now, feb1, there has been NO coverage on this... noone knew about this, noone knows how it is going now. the clean up? water quality? is there any hope there? stay strong, all of you!

[mgtillyer]

joshhill23- Please elaborate. How is this the dumbest statement you've ever heard? How does living 15 miles away make you an expert on this neighborhood and the people who live here? Please, refresh my memory - can you name all the families who've been forced to move due to health reasons? Can you name any of the families whose property values have fallen to zilch? I'm glad you live 15 minutes away. You should consider yourself lucky.

[joshill23]

Oh wow, I didn't realize that these people that lived close had lost everything they have ever worked for. Ha, yeah right. That is one of the dumbest statements I have ever heard. Quit trying to overdramatize this situation. And before you respond, yes I do live near the spill...about 15 minutes away actually. This is liberal propaganda BS.

[jshgek34]

joshill23 Did you watch this? Your like the guy who says after a tornado,"well the wind stopped blowin' guess every things alright." and the house is GONE! Talk about dumb. Do you know how much those properties cost? One doesn't make that in a week.

[free35style]

Fucking asshole

[chrisshakenbake1]

who made this video?

[websiteworld]

Property value on watts bar is now zero dollars.

[mgtillyer]

ireallyhatepasswords-you may already be aware of this but there's a band called "Drive-By Truckers" they have a song called "Uncle Frank" that tells the story of what happened to your family and other families in the area. They're on youtube but it's a live performance and it's hard to hear the lyrics. But they have the lyrics posted on their website. They're a really sarcastic southern rock band. Love that!

[ireallyhatepasswords]

So TVA kept that now valuable "lake front" land and sold it off at a later date. I have family that had their land "stolen" from them by TVA and that land is now populated by by rich Yankees. Many are still bitter over this. The same as YOU would be if someone took your property, paid you a tenth of what it was worth, then sold it at prime market value. TVA giveth, TVA taketh away.

[ireallyhatepasswords]

TVA came through and forced people off of their land. Many times, the lakes only "took" a small portion of the land. For example, Farmer Brown had 200 acres and it was all taken from him by TVA. Once the dams were built the lake only actually came up and put 20 acres of Farmer Brown's original 200 under water.

[ireallyhatepasswords]

Very few people realize today that the "lake lifestyle" that is enjoyed by a select few came at a cost to the people who lived and worked in the valleys that were filled up with water after the TVA dams were built.

[mgtillyer]

SailAway - I'm so sorry.

Today, I am exhausted. I've been following Erin Brockovich's blog and comments on Knoxnews articles and am both disheartened and angry. Do people actually think the majority WANTs to sue? Do they honestly believe TVA is doing right by the people just because TVA says they are? I guess they don't know anyone directly impacted. I guess they don't realize how offensive their comments are.

So, if anyone wants to get on here and attack me, save it. I'm not in the mood.

[SailAwayRealty]

Thank you for putting this video together. I am the Owner of Sail Away Homes and Land...and your questions of Property value are exactly true...out of the twelve customers I had coming in this January to look at Watts Bar Lake Property, Ten of those have cancelled...I moved here 30 years ago when my grandfather bought a marina on Watts Bar. All of us who have enjoyed the recreation on this lake for so many years now may wonder if we will ever have this back. Thank you for posting this video.

[mgtillyer]

The new video is up click on my username or search TVA-Honesty. Still looking for more photos. Keep sending them in.

[mgtillyer]

Thank you all for your comments. I have a new video entitled "TVA-Honesty" that I'll post either later tonight or early tomorrow. I think it's pretty revealing...

[parkave69]

I would be sick if this happened to my river. I hope everyone can recover

[bigbenintn]

TVA didn't obey their mission. No accountability. No focus on results. No honest communication in the aftermath of the spill. And they put energy AHEAD OF environment. Now, it will take years to restore economic development to this region near Kingston. What a mess.

[pajo135]

Thank you. Your video is full of heart and soul, just like your neighbors and I know many of them. Before that day no one would have ever thought anything would happen in Kingston. You have given the world the full view of unwanted change.

[cooldaman]

I hope the TVA officals show us the video of them drinking the water there. I'd love to watch them slowly die. It probably would be a five minute video

[mtnsmiths2k]

As an ex resident of Kingston, I always had my doubts of how "safe" the water was, now their is no doubt.

I feel terrible for all of you who have to endure this tragedy.

[probraid]

Great video!

[mnmboys1]

COOL VIDEO 5 STARS!

[mountainjustice]

Hey its Dave Cooper. I watched your video, its terrific, Im going to try and embed it in my Huffington Post blog so that should help you get more views. Sandra Diaz has also posted it. Please post it as a video response to my username mountainjustice aerial video that has 125,000 hits - search TVA coal ash and it should come up first. thanks friend for your film

[mgtillyer]

Isn't it beautiful? Click on "more info" on my profile. It's listed there, second paragraph from bottom.

[beasleyallen]

What song is that? Really works well with the video.

[mgtillyer]

Thank you, beasley. I'm currently living in New Mexico (military). I've lived here three years in a typical suburb and have never met the people living on either side of me. But my parents, my sister, the people along that edge of the river, they know their neighbors. Their neighbors are family. People wave at you. And not because they know you, but just because you're outside. It wasn't just their property that was destroyed. It was home.

[beasleyallen]

I really enjoyed watching your video. It's obvious that you put your heart into this. I have been trying to follow this disaster from about 300 miles away via the internet and your video does the best job of describing the true impact of an event like this.