NEW YORK COAL ASH DISPOSAL IN PONDS AND LANDFILLS

New York generates 2.8 million tons of coal ash annually, ranking 15th in the US. The document identifies six coal ash ponds and numerous landfills, noting that five specific sites have contaminated groundwater or surface water with toxins such as arsenic, lead, and selenium. It argues that New York state law is deficient because it allows the Department of Environmental Conservation to exempt coal ash monofills from certain permitting requirements and does not mandate groundwater monitoring or composite liners for all facilities.

• New York generates 2.8 million tons of coal ash per year, which places the state 15th nationally for coal ash generation.
• Coal ash disposal in New York involves six ponds at two plants and various landfills, with approximately 1.5 million tons disposed in landfills annually. The existing ponds are over 25 years old, suggesting a lack of critical safeguards such as leachate collection systems and liners.
• Five specific sites in New York have experienced water contamination due to coal ash: the Don Frame Trucking, Inc. Fly Ash Landfill (lead, sulfate, manganese); AES Creative Resources Weber Ash Disposal Site (aluminum, manganese, sulfate, high pH); Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corporation Danskammer Waste Facility (sulfate, iron, magnesium, manganese, boron, turbidity, high pH); C.R. Huntley Flyash Landfill (arsenic, iron, manganese, sulfate, total dissolved solids); and the AES Cayuga Coal Ash Disposal Landfill (arsenic, cadmium, selenium in Cayuga Lake, and lead in groundwater/residential wells).
• New York state regulations are identified as deficient because the NYS DEC has the discretion to exempt coal ash monofills from certain landfill permitting requirements. Furthermore, regulations do not require all surface impoundments and landfills to maintain financial assurance, install composite liners, or use groundwater monitoring systems, nor do they prohibit construction within the water table.

APA

Earthjustice (n.d.). NEW YORK COAL ASH DISPOSAL IN PONDS AND LANDFILLS. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/ny-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. NEW YORK COAL ASH DISPOSAL IN PONDS AND LANDFILLS. n.d. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/ny-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=NEW YORK COAL ASH DISPOSAL IN PONDS AND LANDFILLS |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/ny-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjusticendnew, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{NEW YORK COAL ASH DISPOSAL IN PONDS AND LANDFILLS}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/ny-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }