title: Magnetic susceptibility measurements to detect coal fly ash from the Kingston Tennessee spill in Watts Bar Reservoir.
abstract: An estimated 229,000 m(3) of coal fly ash remains in the river system after dredging to clean-up the 2008 Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) spill in Kingston, Tennessee. The ash is heterogeneous with clear, orange and black spheres and non-spherical amorphous particles. Combustion produces iron oxides that allow low field magnetic susceptibility (χ(LF)) and percent frequency dependent susceptibility (χ(FD)%) to be used to discriminate between coal fly ash and sediments native to the watershed. Riverbed samples with χ(LF) greater than 3.0 × 10(-6) m(3)/kg, have greater than 15% ash measured by optical point counting. χ(LF) is positively correlated with total ash, allowing ash detection in riverbed sediments and at depth in cores. The ratio of ash sphere composition is altered by river transport introducing variability in χ(LF). Measurement of χ(LF) is inexpensive, non-destructive, and a reliable analytical tool for monitoring the fate of coal ash in this fluvial environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geology, Appalachian State University, Box 32067, Boone, NC 28608, USA. cowanea@appstate.edu
authors.forename: Ellen A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Cowan
authors.forename: Keith C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Seramur
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hageman
mesh_terms: D055884:Chemical Hazard Release; D060729:Coal Ash / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation; D008280:Magnetics; D045483:Rivers; D013714:Tennessee; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D060729:Coal Ash; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical