Coal ash is not a high profile issue in Minnesota--- but it should be. The state’s 17 coal-burning plants annually generate 1.5 million tons of coal ash-- enough to smother 2,800 acres (the size of White Bear Lake) a foot deep in ash every year. Minnesota power plants have created 34 toxic “lakes,” industrial ponds of toxic sludge that can foul underlying groundwater and nearby streams with hazardous chemicals. Minnesotans may not know it, but they have two big reasons to worry about coal ash—arsenic and catastrophic spills.
Threat No. 1: Arsenic. Arsenic in drinking water is a huge problem for Minnesotans, due to large swaths of naturally occurring deposits. The Minnesota Department of Public Health estimates that 10 percent of the approximately 450,000 private wells in the state contain dangerous levels of arsenic.[1] In many counties, one in every five wells exceeds the federal health standard, and in some, about half the wells are tainted.[2] Arsenic exposure increases risks of liver, bladder, lung and other cancers, along with nervous system problems, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Some studies also link it to reduced IQs in children. The threat to public health is substantial, because about 75 percent of Minnesota residents get their drinking water from groundwater.[3] Minnesotans cannot tolerate more arsenic. Yet arsenic also comes from coal ash. In fact, leaking coal ash dumps at the Sherburne Power Plant in Becker contaminated groundwater with high levels of arsenic, as well as cadmium, chromium, lead and other dangerous chemicals.[4] Leaking ponds also fouled the groundwater at the Boswell Energy Center in Cohasset. Since arsenic is one of the most common coal ash pollutants, Minnesotans must be especially vigilant that ash dumps are free from leaks.
Threat No. 2: Toxic Spills. Few Minnesotans realize that a major coal ash disaster already occurred in their state. In 1993, an immense rain-soaked heap of toxic ash “liquefied” and crashed down a hillside on the shore of Lake Superior. The LTV Mining Company Taconite Harbor Power Plant had for decades been piling up coal ash onto a 760,000-ton waste pile spanning 27 acres near the lakeshore. After a heavy rain, a large portion of the dump collapsed, covering part of Highway 61, knocking out an electric substation, and partially entering the lake. The cost of the cleanup was at least $11 million. More recent toxic spills include the 2008 spill at the Clay Boswell Power Station in Itasca County that flowed into a nearby lake, and in 2007 and 2008, the Sherburne Power Station had two coal ash spills, releasing 8,000 gallons of toxic sludge in 2008.[5] Yet Minnesota regulations do not require owners and operators of coal ash dams to perform any safety inspections of dams impounding coal ash —ever. Coal ash in aging earthen dams and leaky dumps constitutes a hidden threat to the health and environment of Minnesotans. Arsenic is odorless, leaks are silent and toxic ponds are out of sight. While coal ash may be flying below the radar, it doesn’t mean damage is not occurring.
Relief, however, is on the way. EPA’s new coal ash rule, effective October 2015, requires monitoring of all coal ash dumps to protect drinking water, establishes cleanup standards to ensure water is safe after leaks and spills, and mandates dam inspections to prevent disasters.[6] The new rule requires the closure of coal ash ponds that are unstable, leaking, abandoned or located in or near drinking water sources. Minnesotans need this important federal rule; it’s as clear as the water in your glass.
[1] https://apps.health.state.mn.us/mndata/webmap/wells.html
[2] http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/03/26/ground-level-beneath-the-surface-arsenic
[3] https://apps.health.state.mn.us/mndata/drinkingwater
[4] http://www.fightingbob.com/files/Coalwaste.pdf
[5] http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/industrial/special/fossil/surveys/index.htm
[6] http://www2.epa.gov/coalash/coal-ash-rule http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/03/26/ground-level-beneath-the-surface-arsenic
