Coal Ash Retention Ponds Taking Center Stage
Catawba Riverkeeper David Merryman was featured in a news report by Fox News Charlotte about the threats posed by local coal ash ponds.
Allen Steam Station Ash Ponds on Lake Wylie
Brien Blakely
Bio
CHARLOTTE, NC - Coal ash retention ponds have taken center stage lately across the nation, with environmentalists calling Charlotte ground zero. Coal ash is residue from coal fired power plants, dumped in ponds then discharged into lakes and streams, most notably Charlotte's drinking water source. The EPA says it may be hazardous to your health and is looking to regulate coal ash ponds. But, at what cost?
Coal ash is loaded with heavy metals, like Barium, Chromium, Selenium, Mercury and Arsenic, all highly toxic to the environment and to human health.
Just down from Duke Energy's Allen Station Power Plant in Belmont, a drainage pipe is gushing out about 7 million gallons of coal ash a day, 24/7 into Lake Wylie. "On average about a pound of arsenic comes out of that pipe a day," said Catawba River Basin Riverkeeper David Merryman, who's fighting for stricter regulation of coal ash ponds. "We found arsenic coming out of the coal ash pond in Mountain Island Lake, our primary drinking water source, about 3x over the safe drinking water standards."
For the a complete transcript of the Fox News report, click here.
Charlotte hearings for coal ash will be held at the Holiday Inn of Little Rock Road, starting at 10 AM.
