Groundwater Contamination from Texas Coal Ash Dumps

An analysis of 16 Texas coal-fired power plants reveals that 100% of those with available records are leaking unsafe levels of contaminants, such as arsenic, boron, cobalt, and lithium, into groundwater. The report argues that both the 2015 federal Coal Ash Rule and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's proposed state program are inadequately protective, particularly regarding the use of contaminated background wells and the practice of 'closure in place' for ponds in contact with groundwater. It highlights the San Miguel Electric Plant as the most contaminated site and provides specific evidence of regulatory violations by operators including NRG and CPS Energy.

• Every coal-fired power plant in Texas for which records were available (16 out of 16) is leaking contaminants into groundwater at levels unsafe for human consumption, including arsenic, boron, cobalt, and lithium.
• Thirteen of the sixteen plants show unsafe levels of arsenic, with some concentrations exceeding 100 micrograms per liter, which is ten times the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level.
• Fourteen plants are leaking unsafe levels of cobalt, with concentrations at the San Miguel, Gibbons Creek, and Welsh plants exceeding 600 micrograms per liter, more than 100 times the groundwater protection standard of 6 micrograms per liter.
• Eleven Texas coal plants have unsafe lithium levels, frequently exceeding 1,000 micrograms per liter, which is 25 times the health-based standard of 40 micrograms per liter.
• The San Miguel Electric Plant is identified as the most contaminated coal ash site in Texas, with beryllium exceeding its MCL in 17 wells by up to 190 times and cadmium exceeding its MCL in 15 wells by up to 130 times.
• The report identifies a systemic failure in groundwater monitoring where 'upgradient' background wells are often contaminated by coal ash, making it difficult to statistically detect leaks from regulated units.
• The practice of 'closure in place' is criticized as ineffective for sites like the Monticello and Welsh plants, where ash ponds are in direct contact with groundwater, ensuring long-term leaching regardless of surface capping.
• The proposed Texas state-level coal ash program is deemed flawed for using 'registration' instead of permits, allowing registrations for the life of the facility, and using remediation benchmarks (TRRP) that are significantly less protective than federal standards.
• Specific regulatory violations are noted for NRG, which failed to post Appendix IV assessment monitoring data for the Limestone and W.A. Parish plants, and CPS Energy, which incorrectly attributed contamination at Calaveras to natural occurrences.

APA

Russ, A., & Phillips, A. (2019). Groundwater Contamination from Texas Coal Ash Dumps. Earthjustice. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/texas-coal-ash-report.pdf

Chicago

Russ, Abel, and Ari Phillips. Groundwater Contamination from Texas Coal Ash Dumps. Earthjustice, 2019. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/texas-coal-ash-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Russ |first1=Abel |last2=Phillips |first2=Ari |title=Groundwater Contamination from Texas Coal Ash Dumps |publisher=Earthjustice |date=17 January 2019 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/texas-coal-ash-report.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{russ2019groundwater, author = {Russ, Abel and Phillips, Ari}, title = {{Groundwater Contamination from Texas Coal Ash Dumps}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2019}, month = jan, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/texas-coal-ash-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }