Texas and Coal Ash Disposal in Ponds and Landfills

Texas ranks second in the US for coal ash generation, producing 12.2 million tons annually. The state's disposal infrastructure is characterized by a lack of groundwater monitoring and inadequate lining in most ponds and landfills. This has led to documented contamination of groundwater and reservoirs with selenium, arsenic, and molybdenum, as well as structural failures in dams. Texas regulations are described as among the worst in the nation due to broad exemptions for on-site disposal and beneficial reuse, such as mine-filling.

• Texas is the second-largest producer of coal ash in the United States, generating 12.2 million tons per year, which represents more than 10% of the national total.
• The state's coal ash infrastructure lacks critical safety measures; no Texas coal ash ponds or landfills have groundwater monitoring systems, and most lack adequate liners to prevent contamination.
• Environmental contamination has been documented in several Texas water bodies, including selenium contamination in the Bandy Branch, Welsh, and Martin lake reservoirs, and groundwater pollution by arsenic, molybdenum, and selenium at the Lower Colorado River Authority Fayette Power Project in La Grange.
• EPA inspections identified three dams in 'poor' condition at the Lower Colorado River Authority in La Grange and the Coleto Crek Power Station in Fannin, citing issues such as erosion, seeps, and a lack of emergency action plans or engineering stability studies.
• Texas regulatory frameworks are criticized for being among the worst in the US because they exempt all coal ash disposed of within 50 miles of a plant ('on-site') and ash used for 'beneficial' reuse, such as mine-filling, from regulation.

APA

Earthjustice (n.d.). Texas and Coal Ash Disposal in Ponds and Landfills. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/texas_ash_fact_sheet-2015-05.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. Texas and Coal Ash Disposal in Ponds and Landfills. n.d. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/texas_ash_fact_sheet-2015-05.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=Texas and Coal Ash Disposal in Ponds and Landfills |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/texas_ash_fact_sheet-2015-05.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjusticendtexas, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Texas and Coal Ash Disposal in Ponds and Landfills}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/texas_ash_fact_sheet-2015-05.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }