Folks may notice the start of a steam cloud from the new TVA scrubber stack. When it is fully operational it will resemble the steam cloud from the Bull Run Plant. (We'll try to get pictures soon)

From a communication to the CAG by TVA:

The scrubber equipment that was operating this past weekend (the pumps that circulate the water and limestone slurry within the scrubber and the sprays and fountains) will continue to operate over the next few weeks leading up to the scrubber startup. They will typically run this equipment Monday-Friday but may occasionally run it on weekends. The white plume from these activities will remain like last weekend’s plume.

As early as tomorrow, we will be turning on large booster fans. These fans will blow cold air from outside through those scrubber sprays and fountains. Because of the volume of cold air running through the scrubber and coming into contact with the warmer water, there may be larger water vapor plumes coming from the scrubber stack. How visible the plume will be is dependent on the weather conditions at that time.

No furnaces are connected to the scrubber at this point, nor will there be any furnaces operating at the plant tomorrow. No coal will be burned, and no flue gas will pass through the scrubber. The only component of the plume will be water vapor.

The scrubber startup is still on schedule for mid-November.