Duke Energy, the electric utility whose massive spill of toxic coal ash into a river six weeks ago is part of a federal investigation, illegally pumped as much as 61 million gallons of coal-ash wastewater into a second river from September to last week, North Carolina regulators charged on Thursday.
Both the accidental spill and the deliberate releases occurred not far upstream from municipal drinking-water intakes.
The utility’s officials have said that the pumping was part of preparations for routine maintenance of two settling ponds that hold ash, the remains of coal burned to generate power.
But regulators cast doubt on that claim on Thursday. “The state’s investigation revealed that the pumping activities ongoing at this plant far exceeded what would reasonably be considered routine maintenance,” said Tom Reeder, the director of the water resources division at the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
A spokeswoman for the water resources division, Susan Massengale, noted that Duke had spent 31 days emptying 17.4 million gallons of water from one ash pond and 78 days releasing 44.4 million more from a second.
Peter Harrison, a lawyer for Waterkeeper Alliance, the New York-based environmental group that first uncovered the pumping, said Duke’s explanation was “absurd.”
“They’ve essentially simulated a terrible coal-ash spill by pumping the pond out,” he said.
Duke briefly addressed the releases in...
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Showing posts with label Drinking water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drinking water. Show all posts
Sunday, March 23, 2014
North Carolina Says Utility Pumped Millions of Gallons of Wastewater in River
Thursday, January 16, 2014
How the West Virginia Spill Exposes Our Lax Chemical Laws
The West Virginia chemical spill that left some 300,000 people without access to water has exposed a gaping hole in the country's chemical regulatory system, according to environmental experts. Much the state remains under a drinking-water advisory after the spill last week into the Elk River near a water treatment facility. As much as 7,500 gallons of the chemical 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, which is used in the washing of coal, leaked from a tank owned by a company called Freedom Industries. A rush on bottled water ensued, leading to empty store shelves and emergency water delivery operations. According to news reports, 10 people were hospitalized following the leak, but none in serious condition. The spill and ensuing drinking water shortage have drawn attention to a very lax system governing the use of chemicals, according to Richard Denison, a senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund who specializes in chemical regulation. "Here we have a situation where we suddenly have a spill of a chemical, and little or no information is available on that chemical," says Denison.
West Virginia store shelf.
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Thursday, September 12, 2013
EPA Orders Public Water System on Indian Reservation in Riverside County to Address Arsenic in Drinking Water
Today's post was shared by US EPA News and comes from yosemite.epa.gov
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week ordered D&D Mobile Home Park to address violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. D&D, located on the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indian Reservation in Riverside County, was found to have high levels of arsenic in its public system that provides drinking water to its 300 mobile park residents.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week ordered D&D Mobile Home Park to address violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. D&D, located on the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indian Reservation in Riverside County, was found to have high levels of arsenic in its public system that provides drinking water to its 300 mobile park residents.
The order requires D&D to come into compliance with the arsenic drinking water standard as well as conduct more consistent arsenic monitoring.Sampling data showed arsenic at concentrations as high as 0.059 milligrams per liter—almost six times the EPA’s maximum contamination levels for arsenic. Sampling data also showed the presence of coliform bacteria. D&D is a privately owned and operated system on the Indian Reservation.
The order requires D&D to submit, within 90 days, a written plan for EPA review that will demonstrate the mobile park’s strategy to bring the water system into compliance with the federal arsenic standard by December 31, 2014. Quarterly arsenic water sampling is also required.
The penalty for not complying with the terms of the order can be up to $37,500 per day based on federal statutory law.
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