Toxic metals from the ash of coal-fired power plants have polluted ground and surface waters at scores of locations across the nation, says a new report by a coalition of environmental groups.
Contamination has been found at 137 sites in 34 states, about double the number of locations previously identified by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to the report. At one site–Hatfield’s Ferry in Pennsylvania–groundwater tests revealed arsenic concentrations 341 times above the federal drinking water standard.
The report was timed to influence the EPA as it kicks off a series of public hearings on how to control waste from coal-fired power plants. The agency is debating whether to regulate the ash as a hazardous waste, or to leave enforcement to lawsuits by states and individuals. Environmental groups, including the sponsors of the report–the Sierra Club, Earthjustice and the Environmental Integrity Project–want the EPA to create and enforce federal standards.
“In case after case, state regulators chose not to enforce or even effectively investigate” polluted sites, Lisa Evans, an attorney with Earthjustice, told The Wall Street Journal. “It is clear evidence not of a gap, but a completely broken system.”
Furthermore, the groups said, the threat to water supplies is broader than current data reveal, since some states do not test groundwater for contamination from nearby ash-disposal sites.
Cement makers have argued against labeling the ash as hazardous waste, since that could complicate its use for other purposes. More than 40 percent of the ash is recycled and added to products like cement and drywall.
Officials with the National Mining Association, which promotes the use of coal, could not be reached for comment.
