On Feb. 3, a busted pipe spilled thousands of gallons of coal-ash slurry into the Dan River near Eden, N.C. Asheville-based Carolina Public Press takes a closer look at the potential problems for Duke Energy’s local power plant, where about 91 acres of coal ash is held back by 90-feet-tall dams. The coal-ash ponds, built decades ago when the requirements weren’t as strict, aren’t lined to prevent toxins seeping into local groundwater or into the nearby French Broad River.
Asheville Swept into Dan River coal ash spill debate,
by Kirk Ross, CPP
After a week of intense scrutiny that included the announcement of a federal probe and a lengthy hearing Monday at the North Carolina legislature, the future of Duke Energy’s coal ash ponds — including ones in Asheville — remains as clear as the Dan River just east of Eden. …
[Local Sen. Tom Apodaca] told The Charlotte Observer that the ash pond at Duke [Energy’s] Asheville power plant “frightens the hell out of me, because if it breaks it would go across Interstate 26 and into the French Broad River.”
“It’s time to stop talking about containment and start talking about a solution,” he told The Observer. “It’s time to get rid of all of them as quickly as they can.” …
The two main ponds, the first of which was built in 1964, are rated as having a high hazard potential by the Environmental Protection Agency. Their 90-foot earthen dams hold back a slurry of roughly 1 million gallons of water and coal ash that are less than a few hundred yards from the river. …
For French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson, worries about the ponds at the plant have heightened since a major spill at a Tennessee Valley Authority site sent 525 million gallons of coal ash into the Clinch and Emory rivers. … Carson said he and others have detailed extensive groundwater contamination from arsenic and other heavy metals that make up coal ash’s toxic signature. …
“A lot of people are trying to figure out a way to move forward with some legislation,” .. said [Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Henderson].
But he cautioned that crafting a solution for all 14 sites in the state won’t be easy. …
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