Coal Ash in Kentucky

The document details the prevalence of coal ash ponds and landfills in Kentucky, highlighting significant safety hazards and documented groundwater contamination. It argues that Kentucky's regulatory program is inadequate due to a lack of reporting requirements, inspection frequencies, and emergency planning for high-hazard dams.

• Kentucky ranks 5th in the United States for coal ash generation, producing over 9 million tons annually.
• Safety infrastructure at Kentucky's coal ash sites is limited, with only 23% of units having liners and 20% having leachate collection systems. Furthermore, 18 ponds are rated as either 'high' or 'significant' hazards.
• Multiple power plants in Kentucky have documented groundwater contamination exceeding state or federal standards. Specific examples include arsenic at Mill Creek Station and Paradise Fossil Plant; arsenic, boron, manganese, nickel, and sulfate at Paradise Fossil Plant; and a wide array of pollutants at Spurlock Power Station including selenium, beryllium, chromium, lead, and molybdenum.
• The Kentucky regulatory program is described as inadequate because it lacks regular reporting requirements (except for five-year certificate renewals), does not mandate inspection frequencies, and fails to require emergency action planning or inundation mapping for hazard dams.
• Kentucky's regulations do not mandate composite liners for all ponds and landfills, do not prohibit dumping directly into the water table, and do not require groundwater monitoring for all impoundments and landfills.

APA

Earthjustice (n.d.). Coal Ash in Kentucky. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/ky-coal-ash-factsheet-1113.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. Coal Ash in Kentucky. n.d. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/ky-coal-ash-factsheet-1113.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=Coal Ash in Kentucky |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/ky-coal-ash-factsheet-1113.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjusticendcoal, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Coal Ash in Kentucky}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/ky-coal-ash-factsheet-1113.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }