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Large coal processing plants and mining produce coal slurry, a mixture of crushed coal and liquid like water or oil. After mining, coal is crushed and washed to remove the surrounding soil and rock. The washing process generates huge amounts of liquid waste, and the mining process itself produces millions of tons of solid waste. Coal processing plants will dispose of the trash by dumping it into ponds and lakes, then damming the water so the slurry can remain safe from towns.

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What was the Martin County Coal Sludge Spill?

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What was the Martin County Coal Sludge Spill?

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The Martin County coal sludge spill is a large-scale environmental disaster that occurred on October 11, 2000, in Martin County, Kentucky, USA. The disaster occurred when a coal slurry tank owned by Massey Energy failed, releasing about 306 million gallons of toxic coal slurry into nearby rivers and waterways.

The spill was the worst environmental disaster in Kentucky's history and one of the largest in U.S. history. The sludge contained a mixture of coal dust, water, and chemicals, including heavy metals such as arsenic, mercury, and lead, which caused serious health problems in humans and wildlife.

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A map comparing how close the coal slurry dam was to the nearby town of Martin County.

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River Pollution: The spill contaminated the Tug Fork and Big Sandy rivers and several small streams, killing fish and other aquatic life and polluting the water supply. More than 100 miles of streams, creeks, and rivers were affected. The biggest danger is from more turbulent waters, thicker water, and waste in the river.

Contaminated Drinking Water: Experts found heavy metals in the sludge, including mercury, lead, arsenic, copper, and chromium. Many residents reported a change in taste, smell, and color. The contaminated water also caused skin rashes, nausea, and other health problems. several cities were forced to seek alternative sources of drinking water. Some public schools were closed and residents were ordered to limit their water consumption to essentials only.

Impact on Wildlife: The spill strangled fish, snakes, turtles, and other species as waste stuck to the bottom and banks of streams and tributaries of the Big Sandy River. The spill killed all aquatic life, vegetation, and animals that used the creek for water, including deer, livestock, and pets

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The disaster brought attention to the dangers of coal mining and the need for better regulations to prevent future spills. Massey Energy was fined $5.3 million by the US Environmental Protection Agency for the spill, but many believe that the fine was not enough to cover the true cost of the damage caused by the disaster. As well as paying $3.25 million in penalties and damages to the state of Kentucky. Massey officials said they spent $46 million to clean up the spill.

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An image of what Martin County's drinking water looked like immediately after the spill.

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Massey Energy Company was a coal extractor in the United States with substantial operations in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia. By revenue, it was the fourth largest producer of coal in the United States and the largest coal producer in Central Appalachia. By coal production weight, it was the sixth largest producer of coal in the United States.

Massey Energy was the cause of more incidents other than the Martin County Coal Slurry Spill. Aracoma Alma Mine accident that killed 2 people, the Upper Big Branch mine disaster with the deaths of 29 people, and 495 counts of mine safety violations.

After thousands of people protesting and paying millions for damages, on June 1, 2011, Alpha Natural Resources agreed to buy Massey Energy for $7.1 billion, making it the nation's largest coking coal company. However, some groups had tried to block the sale claiming that Massey managers had engineered the sale of the company to protect themselves from liabilities and had arranged new management jobs with Alpha.

In the end, the ex-CEO of Massey Energy, Donald Leon Blankenship, served one year in federal prison for violation of mine safety standards.

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Robbie Francis Remembers Response to Martin Co. Coal Slurry Spill

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Sludge was a documentary made five years after the accident, illustrating how farming land still has traces of toxic chemicals in the soil, water, and livestock.

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Sludge: The Documentary of the Farmers of Martin County

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Sludge: The Documentary of the Farmers of Martin County

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An image of an unpolluted river (left) compared to the current river in Martin County (right).

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An image of authorities and first responders attempting to filter the water.

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To this day, scientists still find traces of the toxic chemicals that the coal slurry spill released in the soil, water, and livestock. With this, it means that the population is ingesting trace amounts of mercury, lead, aresnic, copper, and chromium- chemicaals that are extremely dangerous to humans, and are known to result in disablilty and death. This makes the farming industry in Martin County especially dangerous because humans could be consuming the chemicals that have seeped into everything around them.

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After the incident, Massey Energy attempted to downplay their fault in the tragedy. However, a whistleblower, Jack Spadaro, was asked to investigate the incident, working to find the cause of the dam failure. This led to the discovery of a previous spill at the same spot. Massey Energy claimed that this problem had been fixed in the past.

Through Spadaro's efforts and investigation, he reported evidence that showed the administration and engineers who were to be looking out for the best interests of people were aware of the other spill, but they had never released the information to the public and had instead covered it up. This evidence is eventually what led to the ex-CEO, Donald Leon Blankenship serving one year in federal prison.

Through this, we learned that major corporations have an obligation to care for their dams and structures. If they don't, then more incidents like this will occur.