How Safe Are Arizona’s Coal Ash Dumps?

The document details the lack of state regulation for coal ash disposal in Arizona, noting that the state does not require liners, groundwater monitoring, or dam inspections despite having 58 ponds. It identifies documented groundwater contamination at the Cholla and Coronado plants and argues that coal ash dumps disproportionately affect vulnerable communities, with 20 percent of nearby residents living below the poverty line.

• Arizona generates over 2.7 million tons of coal ash annually, ranking 14th in the United States for coal ash generation.
• The EPA has documented groundwater contamination at two Arizona sites: the Cholla Plant in Holbrook (sulfate, total dissolved solids, chloride, and fluoride) and the Coronado Generating Station in St. Johns (chromium, total dissolved solids, sulfates, and chlorides).
• Arizona's regulatory program is described as one of the worst in the nation because the state does not regulate coal ash disposal, meaning it does not require liners, groundwater monitoring, toxic fugitive dust control, safe siting away from the water table, or financial assurance for cleanups.
• Despite having 58 coal ash ponds, including nine rated as high hazard, Arizona does not require state inspections of coal ash dams.
• Coal ash disposal in Arizona disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations; over 40 percent of residents near these dumps are non-white, and approximately 20 percent live below the poverty line, which is significantly higher than the 11.9 percent national average poverty rate.

APA

Earthjustice (n.d.). How Safe Are Arizona’s Coal Ash Dumps? https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/arizona_ash_fact-sheet-2015-04.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. How Safe Are Arizona’s Coal Ash Dumps? n.d. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/arizona_ash_fact-sheet-2015-04.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=How Safe Are Arizona’s Coal Ash Dumps? |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/arizona_ash_fact-sheet-2015-04.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjusticendhow, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{How Safe Are Arizona’s Coal Ash Dumps?}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/arizona_ash_fact-sheet-2015-04.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }