Coal plants have gotten a free pass to dump millions of pounds of toxic metals, nutrients, chlorides, bromide, and other pollutants into our nation’s waters for over 40 years. t is long past time these power plants treat all of their wastewater using modern and effective pollution control technologies, as required by the Clean Water Act. It is long past time these power plants treat all of their wastewater using modern and effective pollution control technologies, as required by the Clean Water Act.