Dead shad line banks of Clinch near ashslide site

Just south of Kingston's TVA Steam Plant, a thin layer of something coats the top of the Clinch River. Fishermen say they've never seen it before.

"When all the other water around here is muddy, you can always come here and fish because it's pretty clear where the water turns all the time," Jody Miles of Midtown said.

This area used to be one of Jody Miles' favorite fishing holes. On Monday, he said it's a place where he wouldn't wet a line or dare taste the catch. Dead fish, more specifically shad, are easy to find on the banks near the plant.

"I don't want to drink it. It doesn't look healthy to me," Miles said. "Do you reckon they can bring all this life back that's going to die from all this mess?"

"The water is usually clear," Denny Smith of Midtown said. "Not gray."

Seventy-five yards downstream, it's still not rare to find small fish laying dead on the shore. A gray substance floats in the water, which the fisherman say looks very similar to the ashslide near Swan Pond Road, less than a few miles away.

"I don't know what all of this is going to kill, but it's definitely killing the fish in here," Miles said.

Monday afternoon, a TVA Spokesman said they were not aware of any fish kills and were working with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to examine and mitigate any environmental damage that it may have caused.

When asked specifically about the hundreds to thousands of dead fish found near the steam plant in the Clinch River, TVA Spokesman Gil Francis said the sudden dip in temperatures could have played a role.

"I think it's too early to talk about toxins. We are doing an analysis but you have to remember you introduced a lot of ash material that in itself could cause problems with fish perhaps. But at this point we need to do an analysis," Francis said on 10 News at Five Monday.

The Tennessee Valley Authority has mobilized skimmers, which are on the way. About one mile downstream in downtown Kingston, 10 News crews were not able to find any similar evidence of dead fish.

"I don't know that all of this can be cleaned up. It's been running since 11 last night so you know it's all in the river," Miles said.

As of Monday evening, TDEC's test results of the Clinch, Emory, and Tennessee Rivers were not yet complete and made available to the media.

Kingston City Manager James Pinkerton says the city's water system remains safe and in good condition. While one water intake, a spring, was covered with ash during the ashslide, he does not expect any problems with supply or contamination.

Residents with wells in the area are being advised to boil their water before drinking it, however.

10 News will continue to follow the story and bring you more details as they become available.