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| Name: |
lotowner
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| Subject: |
APC - Toxic Materials
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Date:
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1/6/2012 4:20:53 PM
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New Report: Alabama Coal Ash Ponds Receive Most Toxic Metals in the Nation in 2010
According to the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), Alabama power plants lead the way in disposal of wastes containing toxic metals into coal ash ponds. Ten states accounted for three quarters of total pond disposal in 2010, including (in rank order): Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Michigan. Just 20 facilities account for more than half of the toxic metals (57 million pounds) contained in power plant waste and disposed of in surface impoundments in 2010. Four of these are in Alabama, with Alabama Power’s Miller Steam Plant (Jefferson County) ranked first in the nation in this category. Alabama Power’s Gaston, Gorgas and Barry Steam Plants round out the top twenty.
These figures are based upon information compiled in a national database called the Toxics Release Inventory. Power companies are required to report by volume the toxic chemicals that are contained in coal ash and other coal combustion wastes dumped into surface impoundments, or ponds, every year. In 2010, power plants reported disposal of wastes containing 112.8 million pounds of toxic metals or metal compounds, a category that includes arsenic, chromium, lead, and other pollutants that are hazardous in small concentrations and difficult to remove from the environment once released. According to EIP, that reflects a nine percent increase in toxics disposals since 2009, and is higher than the total reported in 2008.
Most of these surface impoundments are unlined, which means the toxins in the ash are likely to seep into groundwater or nearby creeks and rivers. Monitoring data developed in other areas of the country shows this is happening at many coal ash surface impoundments.
Alabama Power’s Miller Steam Plant (Jefferson County) and Gorgas Steam Plant (Walker County) are both in the Black Warrior River watershed, just northwest of Birmingham. Miller ranked first in the nation for disposing toxic metal wastes into coal ash ponds and Gorgas ranked fifteenth. Riverkeeper Nelson Brooke has concerns: “These coal ash ponds discharge wastewater directly to surface waters in large volumes on a daily basis. Miller discharges to the Locust Fork and Gorgas discharges to the Mulberry Fork, two tributaries of the Black Warrior that are heavily used for recreation and fishing. A major concern moving forward is the increase in the amount of toxics being discharged by the coal-fired power plants to these coal ash ponds and ultimately to surface waters due to the addition of scrubbers, which pull some pollutants out of their air emissions and transfer them to our water resources instead.”
Wastewater permits for these plants are up for review every five years, and the next cycle of re-permitting begins soon. Black Warrior Riverkeeper is encouraging residents in the greater Birmingham region and throughout Alabama to insist that ADEM to make Alabama Power's permits more protective of our rivers, lakes, and public health.
Environmental Integrity Project’s coal ash waste disposal analysis can be seen by clicking here.
For pictures of Miller Steam Plant and Gorgas Steam Plant and their ash ponds, click here.
To learn how you can insist that ADEM make Alabama Power's permits more protective
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| Name: |
GoneFishin
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| Subject: |
MM Help Us Out
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Date:
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1/6/2012 6:00:52 PM
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I am sure MM can explain how this is all a liberal lie. We will solve this issue by getting rid of the EPA and just leave it to Alabama to solve the problem.
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
I'm here GF....just for you
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Date:
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1/6/2012 6:39:44 PM
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OK GF, you have baited me into responding to this. Actually I was going to at some point anyway. First of all, this is not at all a liberal lie. It is in fact a liberal environmental wacko distortion to support their anti-American/anti-capitalist socialist agenda. But let me explain....
The TRI simply lists the quantity of various constituents generated in waste as opposed to addressing any toxicity or human health or ecological risk assessment issues. What you have to understand is that the metals in the ash ponds comes from a naturally occurring substance, coal. You see, soil (or dirt for you uneducated peons) is composed primarily of metals which is the primary source of inorganics in the plants that get concentrated in coal and slightly more concentrated in the ash as the carbon is consumed when the coal is burned. But in essence the concentration of metals in the ash is not significantly more than in naturally occurring coal.
But the issue is not the quantity of metals generated in the ash but whether the ash itself represents a threat to human health and the environment. Now as it turns out I have a tremendous amount of experience answering that very question (I know...surprise, surprise....). I was the principal investigator of most of Georgia Power's ash ponds when the Georgia Environmental Protection Division mistakenly (in hindsight) required them to be thoroughly investigated under their state Superfund law. What we found after substantial investigation and Georgia Power having spent millions of dollars was that there was in fact no risk to human health or the environment that required any remedial action whatsoever. And this covered every ash pond at each of their plants and was not a small sampling effort. Most importantly for the environmental wackos out there, the EPD (who by the way is much more restrictive than ADEM and USEPA for that matter) signed off on every project.
And I can tell you that these ash ponds provide a wonderful habitat for flora and fauna. The bigger issue with the ash ponds doesn't relate to toxicity from the metals but more the potential fish kills resulting from breaching of dikes and the turbidity of the ash causing physical toxicity for aquatic organisms (i.e., it clogs gills so they can't breathe).
I could go on and on and there is no doubt APCO needs to properly maintain their ash ponds. But unless they magically use different coal than their sister company GPC then there should be no toxicity issues with their ash ponds. And the USACE is the agency to ensure that they maintain the dams and dikes properly. So you can rest easy GF......all is well. And the TRI is frequently misused by environmental wacko groups to promote their bizarre agenda. I am glad I was here to set you straight on that one.
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| Name: |
GoneFishin
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| Subject: |
I'm here GF....just for you
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Date:
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1/6/2012 7:46:50 PM
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"I am glad I was here to set you straight on that one." And, so am I. The Hound has been so quiet that I sense she may be checking out the ash levels.
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| Name: |
Barneget
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| Subject: |
I'm here GF....just for you
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Date:
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1/6/2012 9:38:31 PM
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Think not checking the ash levels, but immersed in South Park reruns. Season 10 episode 2 is da bomb.
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| Name: |
buzzbuster
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| Subject: |
I'm here GF....just for you
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Date:
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1/8/2012 12:09:48 AM
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I have to agree with you MM about blowing it all out of proportion. I have two brothers and a son that work for Georgia Power co. and I worked with them myself several years ago and it always amazes me some of the environmental protection nuts that would come to picket a power plant. There might be say 8 to 10 people and would come in 8 to 10 cars, go figure. But they are concerned about the environment as long as it don't put them out any. Most of the power companys are ahead of the EPA at least Georgia Power Co. is. People can read something and beleive it without any type of research at all. The lakes look pretty good to me and the fishing is good to boot, but watch out for those killer coal ash metal flapping toxic tasting monster fish out there. Tight lines eveyone.
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| Name: |
roswellric
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| Subject: |
Toxic Materials
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Date:
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1/8/2012 9:28:35 PM
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I think the most toxic thing around here is all the irresponsible burning - or should I say smoke-signaling - that goes on around here. It's surely more damaging to folks with respiratory problems. We need a burning ordinance or at least get the boy scouts to go around and show some folks how to properly construct a fire and when not to burn.
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