Donna Lisenby: the EPAs Coal Ash Review, Duke and Progress Energy Groundwater Monitoring Exceedances

The Appalachian Voices’ Waterkeeper Team Continues the Fight Against Water Pollution from Coal

The Appalachian Voices Watekeeper team began its journey into the dark abyss of coal ash and its toxic impact to waterways in December of 2008 when it started documenting the environmental harm caused by the TVA coal ash pond spill into the Emory River at Harriman, Tennessee. Since that time, the App Voices Waterkeeper team has released numerous reports, videos and calls to action to protect waterways from the contamination of coal ash:

• – Preliminary independent tests find high levels of toxic chemicals in Harriman TN fly ash deposits-January 1, 2009
  
• – Independent fish sampling results find high levels of toxic chemicals in Kingston, TN fly ash deposits and Emory River fish-May 18, 2009
  
• – All N.C. Coal Ash Ponds Contaminating Groundwater, Analysis Shows-October 6, 2009
  
• – Kingston Coal Plant Released 2.6 Million Pounds of Arsenic, Nine Other Pollutants into the Emory River in 2008-More than the Entire Water Pollution Output of All Other US Power Plants-December 8, 2009
  
• – Environmental Groups Ask EPA Enforcement Program to Increase State Oversight and Step Up Enforcement Against Coal Waste Impoundments

The hard work and relentless advocacy of our organization and our partners to ensure clean water and healthy fisheries is yielding results. Recently, NC announced it was requiring Duke Energy and Progress Energy to implement additional monitoring of heavy metals at is coal ash ponds in NC. The news was covered on WFAE and the Institute for Southern Studies: “North Carolina orders utilities to test groundwater near coal ash ponds.”

In the year since the App Voices Waterkeeper Team launched its assault on water pollution from dirty coal ash, our work has been reported by 60 Minutes, National Public Radio, New York Times, The Nation, the Associated Press, Reuters, the Institute for Southern Studies, the Charlotte Observer, the News & Record and many more.

We could not do this work without the generous support of our members, they make it possible for us to continue the all out assault on Dirty Coal’s contamination of water! Look for some exciting new information from us on Ash Wednesday (February 17, 2010)! In the meantime, here are some of our coal ash videos from last year:

Tags: appalachian voices, coal ash, fish, heavy metals, kingston coal ash spill, riverkeeper, selenium, tva, water pollution

About Jeff Deal

A lover of Appalachia, renewable energy, local green sustainable economies, and energy efficiency, Jeff is the information technology consultant for Appalachian Voices and also the Senior Project Manager for the Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy.