Gaston County residents have a big stake in what happens with a proposed consent order that would resolve the state’s lawsuit against Duke Energy regarding leaking coal ash ponds, says newly named Catawba Riverkeeper Sam Perkins.
The N.C. Division of Water Quality of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources filed a lawsuit against Duke Energy in May alleging the energy company’s coal ash ponds at the Riverbend Steam Station north of Mount Holly and the Asheville Steam Electric Generating Plant in Buncombe County posed a threat to drinking water.
Unlined coal ash ponds were leaking into nearby water sources at levels higher than what’s allowed under safe water standards.
Perkins maintains that the proposal doesn’t go far enough, and he wants Gaston County residents to share their opinions. The state will be accepting public comments until Aug. 14.
“Gaston County deserves better than to be Duke Energy’s waste dumping bin,” Perkins said. “Gaston County folks I really hope submit by far the most comments because this is most directly in their backyard.”
The Riverbend Steam Station rests on 353 acres bordering the Catawba River and discharges wastewater to Mountain Island Lake, the primary source of drinking water for many Gaston County residents. Duke Energy retired the 84-year-old plant April 1.
Gastonia and Mount Holly draw water from Mountain Island Lake. Cramerton, Spencer Mountain, Ranlo and McAdenville purchase drinking water from Gastonia. Stanley buys its water from Mount Holly. Belmont draws its water farther downstream in Lake Wylie.
Gaston County has a stake in this decision not only because of the drinking water aspect but also because Gaston County has an $86 million property tax base along Mountain Island Lake, Perkins said.
Report and monitor
The consent order lays out a timeline of requirements to address violations and find out the cause and extent of any violations of groundwater standards, including hazards to public health.
“We all share the same objectives in protecting water quality, which is reflected in this agreement. Key provisions in the agreement call for more rigorous information gathering, monitoring and reporting of discharges to groundwater and surface waters. This information will help regulators make informed, site-specific decisions to address discharges if they find that’s warranted,” said Duke Energy spokeswoman Erin Culbert via email. “We continue to believe Duke Energy has complied with its existing water discharge permits, and if regulators wish to amend those permits, that is a transparent and public process.”
Culbert said that Duke Energy’s monitoring didn’t find evidence that discharges from either Riverbend or the Asheville plants harm water quality or aquatic life.
“Water quality remains good, fish are healthy and we have no indication to suggest any concern for neighboring drinking water supplies,” Culbert said.
Duke Energy will have retired seven of the 14 coal plants it has in the state as part of modernization and building cleaner plants by the end of 2013. Duke Energy will close the coal ash basins at the shut down plants according to state and federal regulations, Culbert said.
Cleanup, not study, needed
The proposed agreement doesn’t go far enough to protect the Catawba River, Perkins said.
“It requests a lot of information from Duke that should have come on the front end of settlement discussion, not be requested as the final product,” Perkins said. “The point is, after this settlement, nothing changes. DENR gets some information. We need a settlement that stops the pollution, not one that asks Duke Energy to study it.”
The solution should be cleaning up the site, not studying it, he said.
“There’s a ton of seepage because not only are these extremely old ponds, they are unlined. The solution to all this is simple. You remove the (coal) ash, and you put it in a lined landfill,” Perkins said. “That solves everything. It really does.”
The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation has filed to intervene and have a little more say in the lawsuit. The foundation and the Southern Environmental Law Center still have their federal lawsuit that was filed under the Clean Water Act. That will be another opportunity to seek cleanup if the final agreement between Duke Energy and the state doesn’t resolve the issue, Perkins said.
You can reach Amanda Memrick at 704-869-1839 or twitter.com/AmandaMemrick.
Want to share your opinion about the proposed agreement?
Written comments on the proposed consent order should be submitted by Aug. 14. Comments by mail should be addressed to the N.C. DENR Division of Water Quality, to the attention of Lisa Palmer, 1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1617 or by email to lisa.palmer@ncdenr.gov.
What is coal ash?
Coal ash is produced when coal is burned at power plants. Coal ash contains contaminants like mercury, cadmium and arsenic in addition to minerals like silicon, aluminum, iron and calcium. According to the EPA, those contaminants can leach into groundwater and drinking water sources and pose significant health concerns if proper protections are not taken.