Contaminated groundwater linked to coal ash contains toxic chemicals

March 17-- Mar. 17--A recent report showing widespread contamination of groundwater associated with disposal of ash produced by coal-fired power plants intensified scrutiny of present practices by some even as the federal government attempts to roll back regulations.

In Oklahoma, which was granted authority by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last year to regulate disposal of what is technically described as coal combustion residuals, regulators say the rules in place "are working well and are protective." While those rules have been challenged in court, Patrick Riley, who manages the solid waste and sustainability program for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, said the "state rules are in effect and will remain in effect until we hear from the court."

"We have been regulating coal ash and landfills for years, and the federal laws are fairly new -- for years there were no federal rules," Riley said. "They encouraged states to create their own rules, which we did, so we were ready to go, and we were the first state to get approved."

Riley said the state's coal ash regulations are at least as restrictive as the 2015 federal rules, which required for the first time public reporting in 2018 of groundwater monitoring data collected at coal ash dumps. Extensive analysis of that data during a yearlong project spearheaded by Environmental Integrity Project and EarthJustice revealed widespread contamination of groundwater at those sites where toxic chemicals could be traced back to the ash in many cases.

There are circumstances, however, when Oklahoma's coal ash rules don't apply to the disposal of coal combustible residuals in this state. That happens when the coal ash is transported from a power plant to remote disposal site such as a landfill, where OG&E spokesman Brian Alford said coal ash produced at its Muskogee Generating Station is sent when it is not recycled for construction materials.

Alford said coal ash, compacted soils and other materials used to form the impervious surface that "lined" the emergency ash basin that was closed is being hauled to a Muskogee landfill for disposal. The landfill is leased and operated by Waste Management from the city of Muskogee and used for municipal wastes and nonhazardous industrial solid wastes.

Riley said while the disposal of coal ash at landfills is regulated by different rules, he said similar protections are put in place to protect groundwater from being contaminated by toxic chemicals associated with the industrial waste. Contaminated groundwater linked to coal ash in Oklahoma has been found to have unsafe levels of boron, lithium, molybdenum, sulfate, radium, thallium and other toxic chemicals.

"These landfills are designed to take all types of wastes -- they are already lined," Riley said, noting the liners meet the technical standards similar to those for coal ash disposal. "There are groundwater monitoring requirements that must be met under both sets of rules -- they are collecting samples and comparing those with statistical tests to see if there might have been a release from a facility."

Riley said if testing detects any of the listed constituents of concern, further testing is conducted to determine whether corrective measures are required. He said there is no facility in the state that has "gotten to that point."

EIP's coal ash report concludes even the rules finalized by EPA in 2015 are flawed and should provide greater protections than they do now. In addition to disposal site monitoring, some of which still has not been done, the researchers recommend among other things testing of private wells used for drinking water at locations surrounding disposal sites and adjacent surface waters.

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