from CNN- They've upped the estimate of the size of the spill by five-fold:
"TVA's initial estimate for the spill was 1.8 million cubic yards or more than 360 million gallons of sludge. By Friday, the estimate reached 5.4 million cubic yards or more than 1 billion gallons -- enough to fill 1,660 Olympic-size swimming pools.
Environmental advocates say the ash contains concentrated levels of mercury and arsenic.
The plant sits on a tributary of the
Tennessee River called the Clinch River. At least 300 acres of land has been coated by the sludge, a bigger area than the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill."
and
"Video footage showed sludge as high as 6 feet, burying porches and garage doors. The slide also downed nearby power lines, though the TVA said power had been restored to the area. An estimated 78,000 cubic yards, or 15.7 million gallons, of sludge covered local railroad tracks and Swan Pond Road."
That's a lot of ash....
Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/12/26/tennessee.sludge/