Status of Coal Ash Disposal Units

The document reports that 95% of regulated coal ash ponds are unlined, allowing toxic chemicals to enter groundwater. It further notes that 67% of reporting impoundments are within five feet of the uppermost aquifer and 92% of coal plants with available data have at least one ash pond leaking above federal safe drinking water levels.

• The vast majority of coal ash ponds regulated by the CCR rule lack liners, with 419 out of 442 surface impoundments (95 percent) being unlined, which allows toxic chemicals to flow into groundwater. These ponds are distributed across 195 plants in 36 states.
• A significant portion of coal ash ponds are situated in close proximity to groundwater; specifically, 226 out of 388 reporting impoundments (67 percent) are located within five feet of the uppermost aquifer, spanning 125 coal plants in 30 states.
• Among 187 coal plants with regulated ash ponds and available data, 92 percent have at least one ash pond leaking toxic chemicals above federal safe drinking water levels, affecting plants in 37 states.

APA

Earthjustice (2019). Status of Coal Ash Disposal Units. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/status20of20coal20ash20ponds2011-2019.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. Status of Coal Ash Disposal Units. 2019. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/status20of20coal20ash20ponds2011-2019.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=Status of Coal Ash Disposal Units |date=1 November 2019 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/status20of20coal20ash20ponds2011-2019.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjustice2019status, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Status of Coal Ash Disposal Units}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/status20of20coal20ash20ponds2011-2019.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }