Posts tagged contamination
Stories about America's second-largest waste stream.
MAP: "Coal ash damage cases"
Follow the link to interact with the map, which isn’t all-inclusive — it only depicts the United States, and not even all of it; Hawaii and Alaska aren’t included.
If the Plant Scherer lawsuits filed Thursday in DeKalb County State Court are successful, they could have broad implications for power companies.
One suit, filed on behalf of Ronald and Traci Bedenbaugh of Juliette, claims that Plant Scherer owners committed fraud by proclaiming to health care providers, government agencies and the public that their coal ash waste is environmentally safe.
It also alleges that the Scherer owners were negligent because they “recklessly” failed to analyze their own coal ash waste or study reasonable standards for safely getting rid of it.
Georgia Power officials always point out that they follow state and federal rules. But there are no coal ash regulations.
Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2013/01/31/2338020/coal-ash-findings-could-have-big.html#storylink=cpy
Molybdenum is a naturally occurring metal, and in small amounts it is an essential nutrient in the human diet. Excessive levels are not healthy and can lead to digestive problems and gout.
The metal also is present in waste such as coal ash and foundry sand. It’s also used by the steel industry and as an ingredient in paint.
Of the 153 private wells tested so far, 44 showed levels of molybdenum that exceeded the state groundwater standard of 40 micrograms per liter.
According to the DNR, potential sources are:
We Energies’ coal ash landfill in Caledonia, next to its lakeside power plant in Oak Creek.
Hunts Disposal Landfill in Caledonia, 1 1/2 miles from the We Energies plant. The landfill is closed and is a federal Superfund cleanup site.
A PPG Industries property about 3 miles west of We Energies in Oak Creek.
DNR investigating well contamination in southeastern Wisconsin
(Source: jsonline.com)
GSE Holding, a leading global manufacturer and provider of geosynthetic lining products and services, launched its Coal Ash Barrier System, which addresses increasing concerns about coal ash containment and the possibility of groundwater contamination. The system was unveiled during GSE’s coal ash technical seminar held in Virginia.
(Source: coalage.com)
Coal Ash-Contaminated Sites -- EarthJustice
Coal-fired power plants generate about 140 million tons of fly ash, scrubber sludge, and other combustion wastes every year. These wastes contain some of the earth’s most deadly pollutants, including toxic metals that can cause cancer and neurological harm in humans.
Coal combustion waste sites are known to have contaminated groundwater, wetlands, creeks, or rivers. These could easily have been prevented with sensible safeguards such as phasing out leak-prone ash ponds and requiring the use of synthetic liners and leachate collection systems. Yet, incredibly, ash and other coal combustion wastes are not subject to federal regulations that require these simple safeguards.
Use this interactive map to find where pond failures and water contamination have occurred.
LETTER: It is important to stay informed about coal ash ponds -Gaston Gazette
My Mount Holly home is between the Allen and Riverbend power plants. I am well aware of the toxic risk these ponds present - neither has a containment liner. Posted in parks and public access areas along the Catawba River are state signs displaying a picture of a large-mouth bass and a warning that the fish are not healthy to eat, especially by children and pregnant women.
EPA Annual Report Shows Increase of Toxic Chemicals to the Environment
Conservation groups today went to court in an effort to protect North Carolina communities and groundwater from toxic coal ash contamination at 14 coal-fired power plants across the state. The lawsuit seeks to vindicate a North Carolina law—currently unenforced by the state—that requires industrial polluters to stop groundwater contamination and cleanup at these outdated coal ash ponds.
“Twenty years ago, North Carolina required utilities to take immediate action to stop groundwater contamination from these outdated facilities,” said DJ Gerken, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center who represents the groups in today’s filing. “Thanks to the state’s misapplication of its own laws, we’re still waiting for these polluters to stop and clean up known contamination of groundwater from their old industrial operations.”
(Source: wnca.org)
Some of those who came to the Thursday night meeting about Plant Scherer clutched photos of sick loved ones. Some carried their medical records. One person brought cloths covered with black filth wiped from her windows and pool. They were among about 50 people who came to Rum Creek Banquet Hall in Juliette to find out how they could sue Georgia Power, majority owner and operator of the Monroe County coal-fired power plant.
It was the first of two meetings being held by a team of Macon and New York lawyers. Some said they were ready to file lawsuits over alleged harm to their health and property from the ash generated when the plant burns coal to make electricity — and the 750-acre pond where most of the ash ends up.
From the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation:
The NC Environmental Management Commission just voted to have a full hearing on the request by Waterkeepers Carolina (of which CRF is a member) and others for a declaratory ruling that the operators of coal ash ponds must immediately begin …to address groundwater contamination around coal ash ponds. The hearing will be at 11 a.m. on December 3, 2012, in Raleigh. There are links to the briefs and related filings at the end of the EMC agenda, which can be found at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/emc/november-8-2012
. Thank you to the DJ Gerken at the Southern Environmental Law Center for successfully making the arguments for us today.
(Source: catawbariverkeeper.org)
