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EPA TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING REGARDING THE MARTIN COUNTY COAL CORPORATION SLURRY SPILL

Release Date: 03/12/2001
Contact Information: Dawn Harris, EPA Media Relations, 404-562-8421

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, March 13, 2001 regarding the Martin County Coal Corporation (MCCC) Slurry Spill in Inez, Martin County, Kentucky. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the cafeteria at Sheldon Clark High School on Route 40 in Inez. EPA Officials will discuss the Agency's role in the cleanup of the spill and provide information, answer questions, and address citizen concerns about current and planned cleanup activities. MCCC operates a coal processing facility in Martin County, Kentucky. The facility washes coal to remove the impurities and uses a coal slurry impoundment to store the wastewater and waste materials. On Wednesday, October 11, 2000, the impoundment owned and operated by MCCC, had a sudden breach and millions of gallons of waste material, including coal mine refuse slurry, spilled into nearby waters. The spill entered Wolf Creek, Rockcastle Creek, and the Big Sandy River watershed. Potable and industrial water supply service was disrupted in communities along tributaries of the Big Sandy River in Kentucky and West Virginia as a result of the spill, but was reestablished through the efforts of MCCC and EPA. MCCC has cooperated in the cleanup and, to date, MCCC's response activities have resulted in the removal of waste material deposits from 15 miles of stream beds, banks, and flood plain areas in the Coldwater Fork and Wolf Creek watersheds. Persons interested in obtaining additional information are encouraged to contact Sherryl A. Carbonaro, Community Involvement Coordinator, or Art Smith, On-Scene Coordinator, at (800) 564-7577.