Unnatural Disaster Podcast: Recent Episodes
Unnatural
We tell stories of man made unnatural disasters. A landfill in the Birthplace of Country Music is poisoning residents. We're digging into the story and it's not as clear as you might think.
In this episode I get the opportunity to talk with local author and public relations professional, Mary Ellen Miller about her new book, "Fill the Dam Thing Up!" As the public relations professional during the 7 year/$400M emergency repair of the Boone Dam, she recounts the project and has great insight into what goes into the public relations role for such a large infrastructure project. She has organized an approach to public relations in her "playbook". Enjoy the dam book and enjoy our dam podcast episode!
Please check out these links below and please reach out after you check out this episode.
https://www.marketingmel.com/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCCJ6FRG?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YIg3Z-xJVo
https://www.tva.com/newsroom/boone-dam-project
https://www.nicholsonconstruction.com/drill-down/the-boone-dam-project
unnaturaldisasterpodcast@gmail.com
In this episode I sit down with my friend and guest Brad as we discuss wastewater. Brad knows quite a lot about the regulatory environment related to water quality and wastewater requirements. We discuss how the wastewater treatment process normally works and how it's NOT working as intended in this case as related to the leachate and wastewater being produced by the landfill in Bristol VA.
SPOILER- it's a very bad situation that will affect people even if they can't smell the landfill gasses. 500,000 gal/day of toxic liquids are coming out of the landfill everyday.
Some links here for reference:
What is an NPDES permit? https://www.epa.gov/npdes/npdes-permit-basics
What is pretreatment?
https://www.tn.gov/environment/permit-permits/water-permits1/npdes-permits1/npdes-pretreatment-program.html
Discharge permit to Bristol TN from BVUhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1P91uEpRDcFK2d49hEYgSI-i3Qx9h5RNd/view
Bristol wastewater treatment center permithttps://dataviewers.tdec.tn.gov/dataviewers/f?p=2005:34051:2695843727769:::34051:P34051_PERMIT_NUMBER:TN0023531
VADEQ freedom of info records request page:https://www.deq.virginia.gov/get-involved/about-deq/freedom-of-information-act/online-records Hope for Bristol Community Meeting 1/6/23 w Lois Gibbs & Stephen Lester https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5u-x_hAp-U
https://hopeforbristol.org/ <-- with more documents posted here in the future
unnaturaldisasterpodcast@gmail.com
In this episode we're hosted by Pastor Sam Weddington @ the First Presbyterian Church in Bristol. You may remember Sam from helping me kick off episode #1. We're also joined by Don Evans- professional engineer. We address how the recommendations outlined in the expert panel report from last year are coming along. My guests make some great points I hadn't even considered and really re-frame the whole discussion with a fresh perspective. Also mentioned is the urgent need for more data about what the community is being exposed to. Please consider getting involved if you can help in some way.
https://www.deq.virginia.gov/get-involved/topics-of-interest/bristol-landfill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wruZCBXsYS8
https://heraldcourier.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/citizens-group-seeks-air-monitoring-for-landfill/article_89b366da-8c65-11ed-a278-e73d663ab2dc.html
https://hopeforbristol.org/give/
https://bristolministers.org/
unnaturaldisasterpodcast@gmail.com
In this episode I am able to talk with Becky Evenden about the symptom survey HOPE for Bristol has put together as well as talk with local Mike Givney about what it's like to live with this. I try to briefly describe a few of the government agencies relative to environmental issues. I mention a few of the chemicals often encountered in landfill exposures and the toxic results. Update on an upcoming event at the train station as well as provide some useful links. Sorry for the delay in getting episode 3 out! Hope you find it interesting.
https://hopeforbristol.org/
https://www.deq.virginia.gov/get-involved/topics-of-interest/bristol-landfill
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/
https://www.bristoltn.org/1477/Bristol-VA-Landfill
unnaturaldisasterpodcast@gmail.com
In this episode I get to sit down and talk with Becky Evenden a local resident with a background in chemical engineering. She is a board member of HOPE for Bristol, a non-profit organization focused on community relief and finding real solutions to the landfill disaster in Bristol. In this episode Becky breaks down the structural challenges of the landfill and some of the chemicals that residents are regularly exposed to. You can check out HOPE for Bristol @ https://hopeforbristol.org/
An environmental disaster in The Birthplace of Country Music... This story stinks! We talk about why this landfill was a bad idea in the first place and how its mismanagement has perpetuated a disaster. My Guest is Sam Weddington, a local pastor and community leader who has been a key member in organizing the community to take on this Unnatural Disaster- and the local government.