Documentary film, "Sludge" to air four times in May on KET

Appalshop's documentary film "Sludge" will air four times in May on Kentucky Educational Television's (KET) Kentucky Channel.

Robert Salyer’s film tells the story of the Martin County, Ky., sludge spill that was 30 times larger than the Exxon Valdez spill yet gained little of national media attention.

Shortly after midnight on October 11, 2000, a coal sludge pond in Martin County broke through an underground mine, propelling 306 million gallons of sludge down two tributaries of the Tug Fork River into the Big Sandy. The Martin County sludge spill killed all aquatic life along 30 miles of river, damaged municipal water systems, and caused millions of dollars in property damage.
 

Filmed over four years, the documentary chronicles the aftermath of the disaster, the Mine Safety and Health Administration “whistleblower” case of Jack Spadaro, and the looming threat of coal sludge ponds throughout the Appalachian mountains.

The film will air at 1 p.m. Sunday; 7 p.m. Friday, May 16; midnight and 2 p.m. Saturday, May 17.
 

For more info, go online at www.appalshop.org.