Nevada and Coal Ash Disposal and Contamination

The document details the environmental impact of coal ash at Nevada's power plants, highlighting significant groundwater contamination at the Reid Gardner and North Valmy stations and the lack of state-mandated safeguards for disposal sites.

• Nevada generates over 772,000 tons of coal ash annually, ranking 36th in the United States for generation. In 2005, the Mohave, North Valmy, Reid Gardner, and Fort Churchill plants disposed of 427,900, 201,800, 141,700, and 200 tons of coal ash, respectively.
• The Reid Gardner power plant operates eight coal ash ponds with a total capacity of 338 million gallons, all of which are classified as "significant hazard" ponds, meaning their failure would cause environmental or economic damage.
• Severe groundwater contamination is present at the Reid Gardner Power Plant, where arsenic levels in onsite groundwater exceed federal drinking water standards by 73 times, and off-site well levels are up to 31 times the standard. Other contaminants exceeding standards include chromium, boron, chloride, sulfate, TDS, nitrate, manganese, magnesium, molybdenum, selenium, sodium, vanadium, and titanium.
• The North Valmy Generating Station's five evaporation ponds have a history of leaks and repairs, with groundwater wells showing arsenic pollution consistently over 10 times the federal drinking water standard over three years, peaking at 26 times the standard.
• Nevada's regulatory program is deficient as it does not require groundwater monitoring for all ponds, leachate collection systems, composite liners for new ponds, or financial assurance for cleanup following leaks or breaches.

APA

Earthjustice (n.d.). Nevada and Coal Ash Disposal and Contamination. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/nv-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. Nevada and Coal Ash Disposal and Contamination. n.d. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/nv-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=Nevada and Coal Ash Disposal and Contamination |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/nv-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjusticendnevada, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Nevada and Coal Ash Disposal and Contamination}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/nv-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }