Tennessee dam bursts, 12 homes damaged


Substation Relay Protection Training

Our customized live online or in‑person group training can be delivered to your staff at your location.

  • Live Online
  • 12 hours Instructor-led
  • Group Training Available
Regular Price:
$699
Coupon Price:
$599
Reserve Your Seat Today
An earthen dam holding back a retention pond at a coal-fired power plant gave way, releasing a frigid mix of water, ash and mud that damaged 12 homes and put hundreds of hectares of rural land under water.

The 16-hectare pond was used by the Tennessee Valley Authority to hold a slurry of ash generated by the coal-burning Kingston Steam Plant in Harriman, about 80 kilometres west of Knoxville, said TVA spokesman Gil Francis.

The dam gave way just before 1 a.m., burying a road and railway tracks leading to the plant under a thick layer of dark-grey mud and water.

Authorities said no one was seriously injured or hospitalized.

Investigators were trying to determine exactly what caused the breach, but the TVA spokesman said heavy rains and freezing temperatures may be to blame.

"I am still in shock," said Crystell Flinn, 49, whose ranch-style house was pushed off its foundations and driven some 10 metres onto a road. "I don't think it really has hit me yet."

Flinn was travelling back from Knoxville when a friend called her cellphone to say she heard that the flood hit Flinn's house and that her 53-year-old husband, James Schean, was trapped inside. Schean escaped cold and shaken but not injured.

Knoxville-based TVA supplies electricity to 8.8 million consumers in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.

Related News

Recommendations from BC Hydro review to keep electricity affordable

BC Hydro Review Phase 2 Recommendations advance affordable electricity rates, clean energy adoption, electrification, and…
View more

Cheap at Last, Batteries Are Making a Solar Dream Come True

Solar Plus Storage is accelerating across utilities and microgrids, pairing rooftop solar with lithium-ion batteries…
View more

Time running out for Ontario to formally request Pickering nuclear power station extension

Pickering Nuclear Plant Extension faces CNSC approval as Ontario Power Generation pursues license renewal before…
View more

Romania moves to terminate talks with Chinese partner in nuke project

Romania Ends CGN Cernavoda Nuclear Deal, as Nuclearelectrica moves to terminate negotiations on reactors 3…
View more

Nissan accepting electricity from EVs as payment for parking

Nissan V2G Parking lets EV drivers pay with electricity via bidirectional charging at the Yokohama…
View more

Hydro-Québec to Invest $750 Million in Carillon Generating Station

Hydro-Québec Carillon Refurbishment delivers a $750M hydropower modernization, replacing six turbines and upgrading civil works,…
View more

Sign Up for Electricity Forum’s Newsletter

Stay informed with our FREE Newsletter — get the latest news, breakthrough technologies, and expert insights, delivered straight to your inbox.

Electricity Today T&D Magazine Subscribe for FREE

Stay informed with the latest T&D policies and technologies.
  • Timely insights from industry experts
  • Practical solutions T&D engineers
  • Free access to every issue

Download the 2026 Electrical Training Catalog

Explore 50+ live, expert-led electrical training courses –

  • Interactive
  • Flexible
  • CEU-cerified