Residents living near ash pits get letters from Duke Energy
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on September 25, 2014 1:46 PM
esmith@newsargus.com
Residents living near the H.F. Lee power plant are receiving letters from Duke Energy after several activist groups filed lawsuits against the power company over groundwater contamination at various sites around North Carolina.
The letter addresses how coal ash facilities owned and operated by Duke Energy have been in the news recently, but it does not address specifics.
Many residents are worried about possible water contamination, and are calling for quick action to clean up the sites.
"I'm worried because if you read the letter, you come away with the impression that the coal ash pits are lined and aren't contaminating anything," said Matthew Starr, Upper Neuse Riverkeeper and one of the activists involved in the lawsuit against Duke Energy.
Lynn Good, president and CEO of Duke Energy, signed the letter, stating that Duke is working on cleaning up sites across the state.
"We're also proactively identifying the best storage and permanent closure solutions for each basin" Ms. Good said.
Independent data samples sent to Pace Analytic Services in Asheville, as well as data taken by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, show contamination at multiple sites along the Neuse River, which is where Goldsboro's main drinking water supply comes from.
DENR's data shows arsenic in groundwater samples at more than three times the legal federal limit, as well as violations of selenium and thallium levels for the first time in sampling history.
Samples taken by Starr, which are being used in the lawsuit filed against the company at the beginning of September, were analyzed by Pace Analytic Services and showed arsenic contamination. The legal limit for arsenic is 0.01 parts per million. The ranges detected in the independent samples are more than 0.02 parts per million over the legal limit at the lowest levels.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to this sort of contamination can have serious health consequences, including cancer, skin damage, circulatory problems, numbness in fingers and toes, hair loss, and kidney, intestine and liver problems.
Mindy Robinson, a resident near the Lee facility, remains skeptical of how Duke is handling the contamination cleanup.
"It's very irresponsible on the part of Duke Energy to let it get this bad, honestly," Ms. Robinson said.
Ms. Robinson does not use well water, but said she would be hesitant to drink it if she were.
"It's scary, honestly," she said. "You don't know if it's safe to trust the water. Not just the drinking water, because I'm not on well water so mine is filtered, obviously, but to even play or fish in the water is scary. I can't imagine how it would be to be on well water."
One choice for coal ash cleanup consists of removing the water from the ash pit, and then covering the pit with a synthetic material, leaving the ash in place.
Ms. Robinson was not impressed with that option.
"I'd like to see them (Duke Energy) come out and say, 'Hey, we're going to completely remove all of this, recycle the coal ash to turn it into concrete and remove everything from the pits completely,'" she said. "It isn't a cleanup if you just put a cap on it and leave it."
Ms. Robinson said she would like to see Duke devote the same quality effort to cleaning up coal ash as it does to community outreach, an effort that she praised for its positive effects.
"I really do appreciate the community outreach they do have," she said. "But I don't feel like it's enough to make up for the damage caused by the coal ash pits."