Utah and Coal Ash Disposal in Ponds and Landfills Summary

Utah generates 2.3 million tons of coal ash annually, ranking 18th in the United States. The state utilizes a mix of landfills and ponds for disposal, with several sites lacking liners, leachate collection, or groundwater monitoring. The Intermountain Power Project operates six ponds with a combined capacity of 2.3 billion gallons, most of which are rated as low hazard.

• Utah generates 2.3 million tons of coal ash per year, which places the state 18th in the United States for coal ash generation.
• A 2007 EPA risk assessment identified that surface impoundments and landfills at the Carbon, Huntington, and Intermountain plants are unlined. Additionally, the Intermountain and Carbon plants lack leachate collection systems, and the Carbon and Huntington plants lack groundwater monitoring.
• The Intermountain Power Project operates six ponds with a total storage capacity of 7,272 acre feet (2.3 billion gallons). Five of these ponds were built in 1986 and have a "low" hazard rating, while one was built in 1983 and has no hazard rating.

APA

Earthjustice (n.d.). Utah and Coal Ash Disposal in Ponds and Landfills Summary. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/ut-coal-ash-factsheet.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. Utah and Coal Ash Disposal in Ponds and Landfills Summary. n.d. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/ut-coal-ash-factsheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=Utah and Coal Ash Disposal in Ponds and Landfills Summary |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/ut-coal-ash-factsheet.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjusticendutah, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Utah and Coal Ash Disposal in Ponds and Landfills Summary}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/ut-coal-ash-factsheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }