West Virginia Rural Health Research Center

Showing articles with label Coal Ash. Show all articles.

EPA releases list of 44 "high hazard" coal ash ponds

by Matthew G. Armistead

THURSDAY, JULY 09, 2009

The US Environmental Protection Agency has made public a list of 44 "high hazard" coal ash ponds at 26 different locations. These ponds were identified from a total of 427 units managing slurried CCRs (coal combustion residues). According the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers's National Inventory of Dams a "high hazard" potential rating is defined as:

Dams assigned the high hazard potential classification are those where failure or misoperation will probably cause loss of human life.

Four impoundments in West Virginia are on the EPA's list:

Company	Facility Name	Unit Name	Location / State Contact
Allegheny Energy	Pleasants Power Station	McElroy's Run Embankment	Willow Island, WV
American Electric Power	John E Amos	Fly Ash Pond	St. Albans, WV
American Electric Power	Mitchell	Fly Ash Pond	Moundsville, WV
American Electric Power	Philip Sporn	Fly Ash Pond	New Haven, WV

North Carolina has the most with 12 followed by Arizona (9), Kentucky (7), Ohio (6) and Illinois (2). Indiana, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Montana each have one site.

View the entire list of 44 "high hazard" coal ash ponds.

Labels: epa, coal ash

EPA identifies 44 "high hazard" coal ash ponds

by Matthew G. Armistead and Laura Wright

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2009

The US Environmental Protection Agency has identified 44 coal ash ponds as "high hazard", meaning that if the retaining structure were to fail they would post a threat to the people living nearby. The locations of the 44 sites have yet to be released to the general public by the EPA after consulting with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Homeland Security but a DHS spokeswoman indicated that "the Corps position was not the final word on the matter and could be reversed." US Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is speaking out against the decision citing "the critical importance of the public's right to know about threats in their communities."

Watch Sen. Boxer's June 12th Press Conference on Coal Ash:

The Charleston Gazette reports that the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection earlier in the year identified six coal ash ponds that were categorized as "high hazard":

Holz Dam - South Charleston, WV
Scotts Run Cinder Barrier Dam - Belle, WV
FMC Retention Dam - South Charleston, WV
Conner Run Dam - Captina, WV
McElroy's Flyash Dam - Eureka, WV
Scary Creek Impoundment - Scary, WV

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports that the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet has it's own rating system that considers four coal ash ponds in the state to be high hazard. In the same report, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management declined to comment on whether any of the coal ash ponds in Indiana were on the EPA list.

To follow the recovery process of a coal ash pond that has failed view the Tennessee Valley Authority's page on the Kingston Ash Slide.

UPDATE (2009-07-07): EPA releases locations of impoundments.

Labels: coal ash, epa, west virginia, kentucky, indiana

EPA study warns of health risks associated with coal ash

by Matthew G. Armistead

TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2009

An EPA study of coal ash ponds shows that people who live near ponds with inadequate linings had higher rates of cancer and other diseases. Coal ash, also known as fly ash, contains high levels of arsenic, lead, mercury and boron among other heavy metals.

The report said that people who live near the most problematic disposal sites have as much as a 1-in-50 chance of getting cancer from drinking water contaminated by arsenic. The highest risk is for people who live near ash ponds with no liners and who get their water from wells.
The report said the ash ponds also produced an increased risk of damage to the liver and other organs from exposure to such metals as cadmium, cobalt and lead, and other pollutants.

The results of this study are a concern for rural populations as seventy-five of the coal ash ponds evaluated are located in rural counties. The study includes seven West Virginia coal ash ponds, five of which have no liner.

View the full EPA report and see if a coal ash pond included in the study is located in your area.

Labels: coal ash, epa