A new study finds that across the US, coal ash waste contamination is much worse than what was quoted by a new EPA report, with dozens more ash-waste ponds and landfills also leaching toxins into streams and drinking water. This reinforces water contamination concerns much of the public has had with the coal ash industry, and comes to light only 1 year after one of the worst coal ash disasters happened in Dec 2009, "Tennessee Coal Ash Spill, An Environmental Disaster".

The Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice groups have identified serious water contamination caused by coal ash dumps at 31 locations in 14 states, bringing the total to 101, the number of U.S. sites where damages from coal ash have been confirmed. The groups identified the sites by assembling contamination data from state files using “similar criteria” to those sites the EPA had already identified. Arsenic, selenium, boron, and other toxic metal levels were found at up to 145 times federally permissible levels in the adjacent land and water areas of these 31 sites.

Indian River Power Plant - Delaware

Contamination of Surrounding Drinking Water

Not surprisingly, contaminated water from coal-ash chemicals was found to be washing into streams and leaching into groundwater, including drinking water supplies. The full extent of how it has affected the downstream residents and wildlife is not fully understood due the enormity of the regions affected, however enough data has been accumulated to identify many contaminated areas.

To get an idea as to the degree of contamination, some cited findings in the report include:

1. Boron and sulfate contaminated drinking water supply that sickened people in Montana and had to be abandoned
2. Major arsenic pollution from a coal ash dump that contributed to a Great Lake Bay becoming an "International Area of Concern"
3. A mile-long plume of contamination in Florida
4. Mercury contamination of residential wells in Tennessee
5. Selenium levels in West Virginia surface waters at 4-5 times what is permitted under federal law
6. Lead was found at 10 times the federal limit at 8 sites

Many States and Communities Affected

Every year, roughly 400 coal-fired power plants in the US produce about 140 million tons of scrubber sludge, fly ash, and other wastes. A fraction of that waste can be used in products like concrete and the rest goes into landfills and retention ponds becoming a subject of high concern for local communities and environmental groups alike.

14 states are directly caught up in this firestorm of the 31 identified including Delaware (1), Florida (3), Illinois (1), Indiana (2), Maryland (1), Michigan (1), Montana (1), Nevada (1), New Mexico (1), North Carolina (6), Pennsylvania (6), South Carolina (3), Tennessee (2), and West Virginia (2). There is a fear however that this may be an even larger problem than what this reports covers as more than the 101 sites cited are prone to polluting the surrounding region.

Concentrations of toxic pollution at many of these coal-ash sites are shockingly high. Groundwater monitoring data show that pollutant concentrations have exceeded federal drinking water standards by a factor of 10 or more at the following sites: Indian River Power Plant Burton Island Landfill (arsenic, 145 times the standards); Grainger Generating Station (arsenic, 92 times); Trans Ash Landfill (arsenic, 27 times); Seminole Generating Station (arsenic, 19 times); Karn Weadock Generating Facility (arsenic, 100 times); Brandywine Landfill (cadmium, 100 times); Big Bend Station (arsenic, 11 times); Seward Generating Station (antimony, 17 times); Fern Valley Landfill (arsenic, 36 times); Lee Steam Plant (arsenic, 44 times); Sutton Steam Plant (arsenic, 29 times); Hunlock Power Station (arsenic, 12 times); and Wateree Station (arsenic, 18 times)

Federal Regulation of Coal Ash Long Overdue

Jeff Stant, lead investigator for the Environmental Integrity Project stated “While the catastrophic spill at TVA’s Kingston plant has become the poster child for the damage that coal ash can wreak, there are hundreds of leaking sites throughout the United States where the damage is deadly, but far less conspicuous”

The environmental groups are in agreement that it's long overdue for the US government to regulate coal ash as a hazardous waste. State by state regulations are loose and not enforced to the degree that's required to protect the environment and local communities. The groups have called on the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to complete its review of a coal-ash contamination rule and allow the EPA to begin addressing the problem.

However, many business groups and members of Congress say federal regulations on coal ash would harm the economy and businesses in that industry. In a letter this month to Peter Orszag, director of the OMB, Rep. Jerry Costello (D) of Illinois and seven other lawmakers asked him to “consider the impact the regulation of CCBs [coal combustion byproducts] will have on jobs and the economy in Illinois."

If you live around, or downstream from a coal-fired plant, we recommend you take the time to research to what degree you may be at risk. Using a home water filter like a berkey system will help protect you and your family from the types of chemicals and contaminants that they've discovered in this study. It's your responsibility to ensure that you are ingesting the highest quality of drinking water on a daily basis.