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Activists fight coal ash pond expansion along Ohio River
November 5th, 2009 by Jennifer Walker-Journey
Concerned citizens and environmental activists are opposing plans to expand a coal ash pond along the Ohio River in northern Kentucky because they say if the pond ruptures, it could contaminate drinking water. The proposal from LG&E would build 100-foot-tall walls around an existing coal ash pond, giving it more capacity than the coal ash impoundment at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston, Tenn., plant, which failed last year and dumped more than a billion gallons of toxic waste on to a neighboring community.
That spill, called one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history, knocked houses off their foundations, damaged property and contaminated waterways. The TVA is currently undergoing an estimated three-year, $1.2 billion cleanup effort to restore the land.
That’s just the kind of nightmare Kentucky residents don’t want to experience. A major spill from a larger coal ash pond built on the Ohio River flood plain could easily contaminate Louisville’s drinking water uptake just 30 miles downstream.
LG&E and Kentucky Division of Water officials say the pond wouldn’t affect the drinking water. But environmentalists have concerns. Coal ash is not categorized as a hazardous material and thus does not currently fall under federal regulation. But the massive Tennessee spill shed new light on coal ash.
Tests have shown that coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been linked to serious health conditions such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. As a result of last year’s devastating spill, the Environmental Protection Agency has been ordered to review all coal ash ponds in the country. The agency is expected to issue new rules for handling coal ash sometime in December.
Source: Chicago Tribune
