Coal-Fired Power Plants Are Polluting Groundwater (Fluence Study)

Published on by in Case Studies

Coal-Fired Power Plants Are Polluting Groundwater (Fluence Study)

Environmental groups are pushing for tighter regulation and enforcement of EPA rules.

power plant.jpg
Representative image source: Pixabay, labeled for reuse

A new study shows that of the 265 coal-burning power plants it studied in the United States, 241 have dangerous levels of toxic metals in the groundwater around them, based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. The figure, which comes to 91% of the plants, was derived only from plants that must monitor the groundwater near their coal ash dumps. Coal ash is a byproduct of coal combustion stored on-site by power plants. The study was sponsored by a team of environmental groups spearheaded by the Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice. Lisa Evans, senior counsel for Earthjustice said:

"Using industry’s own data, our report proves that coal plants are poisoning groundwater nearly everywhere they operate."

 

High Levels of Contaminants

For the study, data was gathered from 4,600 monitoring wells near coal ash dumps at approximately two-thirds of U.S. coal power plants.

According to 2018 data reported by power companies, the 10 most contaminated sites are in:

A breakdown of the data also showed:

 

Regulation

Monitoring began under Obama administration regulations, but local testing of drinking water is not required. Regulations have relaxed for some plants, and cleanup of some ponds has been pushed back to the end of 2020. Environmental groups say it is time for tighter regulation and enforcement, but the EPA has not commented yet, pending review of the report.

Dealing With Contaminated Groundwater

Technologies available for arsenic and metal removal include coagulation filtration, oxidation filtration, adsorption with granular iron hydroxide media, ion exchange, membrane separation, and VSN-33 media. Choosing the best technology for removal of metals involves the many variables of the source water, requiring a treatment company with a deep reservoir of experience. Contact Fluence to learn about our sustainable solutions for heavy metal removal, or to discuss your next project with our experts.

Reference :

"Coal’s Poisonous Legacy: Groundwater Contaminated by Coal Ash Across the U.S.", Environmental Integrity Project, March 2019

Source: Fluence Corporation

Read more from Fluence on its company page.

Media

Taxonomy