No collapse at H.F. Lee plant
By Steve Herring
Published in News on October 13, 2016 9:16 AM
Flooding along the Neuse River has receded just enough that flood waters are no longer overflowing the earthen basin wall surrounding the cooling pond at the H.F. Lee Plant.
However, water continues to enter over the spillway. But, that, too, is expected to stop as flood waters recede.
Meanwhile, a 50- to 60-foot breach in the basin wall that occurred early Wednesday afternoon has not worsened, county spokesman Ken Derksen said this morning.
Reports on social media late Wednesday had indicated there was a collapse of the earthen wall basin holding in the cooling pond. Officials refuted the allegations Thursday, but said an aerial inspection of the breach was to have been made in the morning.
The breach is in the southeast corner of the approximately 545-acre cooling pond -- a man-made reservoir that was constructed to supply cooling water to the power plant.
Derksen said he does not know how much water the cooling pond contains, but according to published reports the basin contains 1.2 billion gallons.
The active ash basin is not impacted by the flooding and continues to operate safely, Duke officials said.
There is water still coming into the cooling pond from the Neuse River through the spillway, and now there is water leaving the cooling pond though the opening in the basin wall, the company officials said.
"Based on the current flooded state of the river and detailed studies of the area, we expect minimal impact -- less than an inch -- to the Neuse River level as a result of the water entering from the cooling pond," said Duke spokesperson Erin Culbert.
"We continue to work closely with local emergency management and other officials."
Duke Energy officials were to have met earlier this morning to discuss the incident, a company spokesman said.