The Tennessee Valley Authority gave “inaccurate and inconsistent information” to the public after the coal ash spill at the Kingston Fossil Plant in December, a TVA audit said today.

TVA’s inspector general said the federal utility did not follow proper federal procedures after the accidental spill of fly ash into the Emory River and adjacent properties on Dec. 22. As a result, the TVA audit said communications were hampered and some emergency response was delayed.

“TVA has responded effectively to victims in the affected area,” TVA Inspector General Richard Moore said in a report released today. “However, failure to communicate the claims policy and decisions in a timely manner increased settlement expectations for some.”

In response to the inspector general report, TVA management said the agency has upgraded its procedures to comply with Department of Homeland Security directives for emergency responses. TVA also is improving the procedures used in its media relations program to communicate information about an accident such as the Kingston ash spill.

More than 5.4 million gallons of fly ash spilled over 300 acres near the Kingston Fossil Plant on Dec. 22 when an earthen wall around an ash dredge pond burst. The inspector general of TVA, an independent watchdog of the federal agency, reviewed the way TVA responded to the accident and issued its report today.

For complete details, see tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press.