Old AEP Site Coal Ash Educational Presentation Notes
January 29, 2019 6-8 PM Lawrenceburg Public Library Ewbank Room
Beverly Millspaugh introduced Tim Maloney from Hoosier Environmental Council
The EPA 2015 Rule and subsequent changes and court rulings that now make Legacy Ponds - the older ones from before the rule- are now subject to the Federal Rule.
Tim Maloney started with a high level view of Coal Ash issue and then would break it down to local issues.
HEC - Hoosier Environmental Council started in 1983 - home grown in Indiana - have worked on just about every environmental issue over the years.
Sometimes provide assistance to local groups. Occasionally get involved in litigation. Try to influence environmental legislation also.
Coal combustion residuals include several things. This has been virtually unregulated for decades. Disposal sites are typically not visible and so people don’t know this is going on.
There were a couple of big spills in 2008 in Kingston TN and billion gallons of coal ash sludge leaked. A second big spill in North Carolina spurred the regulations.
Coal fired plants are located all over Indiana. All along rivers, At every one of these power plants the coal ash is at a land fill or in lagoons or ponds. Majority have no liners at the bottom. The liquids have been expelled to the waterways ( rivers)
The wet ash has water that leaches out the contaminants in the coal ash. These contaminants can go straight into the aquifer.
Lots of documented groundwater contamination.
Coal ash, health and environment affects:
Fugitive dust
surface water
ground water
spills
Effects of selenium on aquatic life has been scientifically documented.
Dust from coal ash cause respiratory issues.
Arsenic and chromium and others are documented as hazards to human health- arsenic is a carcinogen
86 active or closed plants in Indiana
2 spills on White River
17 plants documented contamination
Pines Indiana- big documented contamination and clean up. (see HEC website for story)
Court Ruling a setback for EPA efforts to undermine coal ash rule.
Coal ash ponds closed before 2015 EPA rule were legacy ponds.
BUT a subsequent court rule said that the legacy ponds were covered by the newer federal rules now. This is a significant action that would benefit the clean up of the old ponds here.
Violation letter with IDEM was for open dumping of coal ash here in Lawrenceburg on October 18, 2018 was under Indiana law.
Closing and leaving the ash there is the absolute most risky thing you can do. Now ash is being dug up out of these ponds and being moved to modern lined landfill sites. It’s a better solution than what is happening here now.
In North Carolina- Duke Energy is excavating ash in 8 sites- and in several others states. It is happening in northern Indiana also with NIPSCO in Michigan City. Moving the waste to a safe site near Jasper.
Closing the coal ash in place is what HEC is fighting and HEC wants it cleaned up and moved to safer spot.
Locally here-
4 discrete sites and one that is open. Coal ash is widespread throughout that AEP property now owned by Tanners Creek Development LLC.
Pending closure plans from Tanners Creek Development was same as AEP planned - to close in place with its 20 mil liner that is less than what the standard is now.
BUT IDEM sent a letter to Tanners Creek Dev- Dec 3, 2018- The fly ash pond plan must be revised to comply with federal rules.
The owner has to demonstrate that the ash will not come in contact with water. Given that it is so close to municipal water wells - that is risky to leave it there.
Main Ash pond on Dec 4, 2018 IDEM letter also said it had to be revised to follow federal rules. There are a number of performance standards that they won’t be able to close in place. You have to dig it up to correct that.
Landfill area of the AEP PROPERTY- TANNERS CREEK DEVELOPMENT LLC proposal to import out of state ash- SHOWS the permit is still pending.
Phase II Limited Subsurface Investigation Dec 2018- ATC Group Services LLC prepared for Ports of Indiana. Findings from Phase II study- widespread contamination. Contamination has to be reduced to an acceptable level for humans. Quarantine and other was to contain or institutional controls that keep humans off the site. This is like brownfield cleanup in its approach. The coal ash rule is not risk based - it provides performance standards so its cleanup is better.
In our case- shallow sand and gravel aquifer- coal ash saturated by groundwater and coal ash contaminants are in the groundwater.
Fly ash was 38 ft deep in one testing site. It indicates that it is sitting in the underground groundwater. This acts like kind of a tea bag effect. Covering up an unlined pond does not keep ash out from below or floods. Hydrostatic pressure from flood will be pushing at that cap. etc.
ATC Group Services did the Place II study and they sent it to IDEM in December- you can find it in their Virtual File Cabinet at IDEM website.
Landfill base has a lot of groundwater monitoring. Arsenic is 3 times drinking water standard. Boron is there in amounts that show coal ash but below drinking water standard.These are amounts from the sampling wells.
Ash ponds will also have ground water sample wells and AEP did voluntary sampling. AEP is still not out of this in terms of their responsibility.
There are a series of potentiometric maps from 2010-18 that show that groundwater is flowing toward the wells.The river and the groundwater are going back and forth during flood times.
So far the drinking water is not affected- though it is treated.
Water tests occur at different times and frequency. AEP still tests for Aurora and LMS water.
Ports of Indiana pressure could affect the cleanup.
IDEM should look at this as an excavation and not a cap and cover. Risk here is greater because of aquifer/river/and flood plain. The aquifer here is robust and products (Like Proximo Distillery) are made from that drinking water.
Coal ash can go out by rail- the same way as the coal came in. Or barge- though riskier to transport on waterways.
Landfill restrictions are stricter than the coal ash ones. Which seems odd…
IDEM contacts:
John Hale- jhale@idem.in.gov
Rebecca Joniskan- rjoniskan@idem.in.gov
Bruno Pigott- bpigott@idem.in.gov
contamination is there- capping won’t work- coal ash should be removed and properly stored.
Can’t build on top of them if they are capped- so limits port’s usable real estate.
Gov Holcomb wants the cleanup done right per Bill Ullrich- County Councilman
Gov Holcomb- 317-232-4567
Keep eye on wells and look at the boron- as our levels are well above naturally occurring amount.
Bedrock aquifers are better than sand and gravel aquifers.
NIPSCO in Indiana is digging it up and removing like Duke Energy has done elsewhere. So there is precedent in Indiana to do this.
HEC contacts and website:
Notes by:
Christine Brauer Mueller
Lawrenceburg Township
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