Georgia Power plant spills ash slurry into Etowah tributary

CARTERSVILLE - An estimated 1.4 gallons of ash-water slurry have spilled into a tributary of the Etowah River. <br> <br> The spill was caused by a large sinkhole that formed in a Georgia Power holding pond. It was discovered Sunday afternoon at the utility&#39;s Bowen plant near Cartersville. <br> <br> A Georgia Power spokesman said the ash is running into Euharlee Creek, which flows next to the coal-fired generation plant. <br> <br> Officials believe underground limestone shifted, allowing the 25-foot sinkhole to form at the bottom of the ash-storage pond. The sinkhole covers several acres of the 250-acre pond. <br> <br> Engineers have erected silt booms to screen silt from the water and are trying to install a pump to divert the spillage to another holding area. <br> <br> The four-unit Plant Bowen is one of the nation&#39;s largest power-generating plants, supplying about 20 percent of the electricity used in Georgia.