High Arsenic, Chromium Soil Levels At Power Plant, Leaky Coal Waste Ponds - Duke "Stewardship" In SC
COLUMBIA, SC — Reports linking Duke Energy to more contamination at an Upstate power plant surfaced late last week as the company and environmental groups prepared for a meeting with South Carolina regulators Monday to discuss Duke’s troubles managing toxic coal ash ponds.
In 2006, researchers discovered elevated levels of arsenic in the ground at the company’s Lee steam station in Anderson County, according to a study released Friday by environmentalists.
Some of the arsenic levels exceeded federal safety limits for residential and industrial land, according to the report obtained by the Southern Environmental Law Center from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. The report also showed evidence of chromium pollution in the ground. The contamination was found near a disposal area uphill from the Saluda River, said Frank Holleman, a law center attorney.
Signs of arsenic and chromium pollution follow a report detailed by The State newspaper last month showing that groundwater near existing company coal ash ponds contained iron and manganese pollution. The stability of dams holding back water in the ash ponds has been the main concern outlined in consulting reports at the Lee power plant site, The State newspaper reported.
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http://www.thestate.com/2014/03/22/3342206/duke-to-discuss-coal-ash-woes.html
