The Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) says the ash dumps highlighted in the report are just a fraction of those with pollution problems. Hydrologist and consultant Russell Boulding said the report “provides new evidence of how pervasive water contamination is.”
The report says tests near most dumps for power plant ash show elevated levels of boron, manganese and arsenic. Fourteen of the sites, it says, contain arsenic levels above federal drinking water standards. Researchers found especially high concentrations near a handful of dumps, including at power plants in Georgia and Nevada.
EIP’s report is the latest by environmentalists attempting to show the dangers of coal ash dumps and lobby against legislation to bar U.S. EPA from labeling it a hazardous waste (E&ENews PM, Aug. 17). Congressional Republicans and some Democrats say they want to protect the coal ash recycling industry and give states broad oversight power.