What: The Giles Cumberland Park Project is a community development project to create a commercially viable 7+-acre building site along Rt. 460 in Narrows, Va. Through extensive engineering it was determined that a combination of compacted recycled coal ash and soil would create the best structural foundation for the site. The project is not a “fly ash lagoon”, “dump”, or “landfill”.

Who: The land is owned by the Giles Partnership for Excellence, a non-profit organization with a long history of successful economic development and community service projects for Giles County. The Partnership has pledged the eventual net proceeds from the sale of the Cumberland Park Project to the Giles County Schools Vocational Education program.

When: Site preparation began in October 2007. Erosion and sediment control were put in place, topsoil was removed and saved for reapplication, and protective berms were constructed along the New River. The berm construction was the first step in raising the site above the 100-year flood plain. Structural fill is expected to begin in late March or April 2008, depending on the weather and soil conditions.

Why: The project will create prime commercial real estate with 1200 feet of road frontage along Rt. 460. Possible use includes a hotel, light industry, and/or retail businesses. These entities can create jobs, tax revenue, and travel and tourism opportunities for Giles County.

Properties of Coal Ash: Coal ash particles are essentially insoluable aluminosilicate glasses like fine cinders which contain trace amounts (parts per million/billion) of heavy metals, many of which occur naturally in the environment. Coal ash is also recycled into cement, concrete blocks, used in agricultural applications, for highway ice control, as fill for abandoned mines and, as in the Cumberland Park Project, as a structural base for construction.

Studies of sites in Minnesota and Illinois completed eight and 15 years after completion of structural projects showed insignificant leaching of trace elements; however, the possibility of that occurring differs with a region’s geology and hydrologic factors. Each site is different and is the reason that extensive engineering analysis must be completed and approvals granted prior to the start of any structural coal ash project.