Report: Toxic pollutants are leaking from 12 Iowa coal storage sites

The Alliant Prairie Creek Era Station is seen July 26, 2022, from Prairie Park Fishery in Cedar Rapids. The plant is one in every of 12 websites in Iowa that’s leaching poisonous pollution from coal ash, in keeping with a report launched Thursday from nonprofits Environmental Integrity Challenge and Earthjustice. Alliant mentioned it’s in compliance with a federal rule on coal ash storage. “Alliant Power takes environmental compliance critically,” a spokeswoman mentioned. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

Twelve websites in Iowa that retailer coal ash — a waste product fashioned throughout coal-fired vitality era — are leaching poisonous pollution into the setting, in keeping with a brand new report launched Thursday.

These websites, together with one in Linn County, are amongst no less than 265 coal-fired energy vegetation throughout america contaminating groundwater, representing 91 p.c of the almost 300 evaluated websites, the report by nonprofits Environmental Integrity Challenge and Earthjustice discovered.

Coal ash comprises poisonous pollution that may trigger most cancers, illness and bodily and neurological injury. Many coal-fired energy vegetation traditionally have disposed of coal ash in unlined floor impoundments — often known as coal ash ponds — or landfills, the place it could actually leach into close by water sources. An Earthjustice database discovered that regulated landfills and ponds throughout the nation maintain greater than 2 billion cubic yards of coal ash — sufficient to fill about 600,000 Olympic swimming swimming pools.

The 2015 Environmental Safety Company coal ash rule prohibited additional use of coal ash ponds and landfills, and it established groundwater monitoring, cleanup and reporting necessities for qualifying areas.

Of their new report, the nonprofits evaluated the cleanup plans that energy vegetation have proposed for the reason that 2015 EPA ruling. The overwhelming majority of energy plant house owners aren’t proposing any therapy for groundwater at contaminated websites, the report mentioned. By not fulfilling these necessities — and extra — from the EPA’s rule, the report mentioned that most of the nation’s coal-fired energy vegetation had been out of compliance.

“Our report paperwork the business’s widespread refusal to wash up the poisonous mess they’ve made,” mentioned Earthjustice legal professional Lisa Evans. “Coal vegetation are polluting the nation’s water illegally and getting away with it.”

Alliant Power and MidAmerican Power, operators at a few of the 12 Iowa websites named within the report, say they already are following the EPA’s requirements and laws for coal ash disposal.

Beneath the coal ash rule, each coal plant proprietor is required to observe close by groundwater and publicly report the information. Environmental Integrity Challenge and Earthjustice compiled these outcomes and used them for his or her analyses. Between the brand new report and its 2019 predecessor, the nonprofits analyzed information from 292 coal vegetation between 2015 and 2019.

The brand new report highlighted the websites throughout Iowa that had pollutant ranges exceeding secure health-based thresholds:

A number of of those services reported their coal storage models had been inside 5 ft of groundwater, in keeping with the report. The EPA additionally decided many of the models had been in touch with groundwater. And, in keeping with an Earthjustice evaluation, most of the state’s coal ash ponds are unlined.

A few of Iowa’s coal-fired energy vegetation are both retired or retiring, like Alliant Power’s Lansing plant — which is the final of the corporate’s Iowa producing stations to ship materials to coal ash ponds. Others have switched their gasoline from coal to pure fuel, like Alliant’s Burlington plant.

However, with out correct remediation, the legacy of the coal ash on the websites — and its impacts to surrounding communities — will dwell on.

“Merely shutting down an influence plant … does nothing to right the contamination that has already occurred on-site,” Evans mentioned.

Responses to the report’s findings

Alliant Power — which owns six of the websites — has met all security necessities for its coal ash pond embankments, mentioned spokesperson Melissa McCarville in an e-mail. A lot of the firm’s ponds have already closed; the remainder are scheduled to shut by 2023. Alliant will monitor groundwater close to the retired coal ash ponds for no less than 30 years.

“Alliant Power takes environmental compliance critically,” McCarville mentioned. “For websites that want extra groundwater monitoring, we are going to carry out it. If corrective motion is required, we are going to take it, as prescribed below the (EPA’s ruling).”

MidAmerican Power — which owns 4 of the websites — has closed the positioning at its Louisa energy plant, mentioned spokesperson Geoff Greenwood in an e-mail. The corporate is within the means of closing its remaining ponds, together with the positioning at Walter Scott Jr. Power Heart — which was essentially the most contaminated website in Iowa, in keeping with the report.

In all instances, the corporate is eradicating coal ash that’s in touch with groundwater, Greenwood mentioned: “MidAmerican impoundment services don’t affect space waterways or consuming water, and the information that we gather and monitor helps that conclusion.”

He additionally added that business consultants have known as report’s validity into query, saying it “grossly mischaracterizes” the EPA’s coal ash rule and its implementation.

Donald Kom, director of the town of Ames’ electrical division, mentioned the town hasn’t used its coal ash website since about 2015. The landfill is lined and can be bolstered with a brand new liner subsequent 12 months as a part of its closure plan.

“We have not violated any of the coal ash guidelines and the necessities that we have now to do,” Kom mentioned.

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