VIRGINIA’S TOXIC COAL ASH PROBLEM: The Need to Protect the Health, Safety and Water of Virginia

The report documents widespread groundwater and surface water contamination in Virginia caused by coal ash ponds and landfills, highlighting critical failures in state regulatory oversight. It identifies specific high-risk 'significant hazard' dams and contaminated sites across the Commonwealth, noting that 76% of these facilities are located in low-income communities or communities of color. The authors argue that current Virginia regulations are inadequate—failing to mandate liners or consistent groundwater monitoring—and urge the state to adopt the more stringent 2014 EPA coal ash rule while opposing H.R. 1734, a federal bill that would weaken those protections.

• Virginia's coal-burning power plants produce over 2.7 million tons of coal ash annually, with coal ash accounting for 100% of the state's reported land releases of arsenic, chromium, and selenium, and over 92% of mercury releases.
• There are significant structural risks associated with legacy coal ash ponds in Virginia, including several rated as 'significant hazards' where failure could cause loss of life or major economic damage. Examples include the Possum Point Power Station, where Ash Pond E has a 72-inch corrugated metal pipe running under it, and the Chesapeake Energy Center, which the EPA previously rated as 'poor' and required 'urgent' repairs.
• Coal ash has caused severe ecological and human health damage across Virginia, including the Clinch River spill that killed over 200,000 fish and the Chisman Creek site, which was placed on the EPA's National Priority List of the most contaminated Superfund sites.
• The distribution of coal ash infrastructure in Virginia demonstrates a pattern of environmental injustice, with 76% of ponds and landfills located in communities of color or areas with below-average state income.
• Virginia's regulatory framework contains ten major gaps, including the lack of prohibition against disposing coal ash directly into drinking water aquifers, the absence of required liners or groundwater monitoring for all ponds, and a 'beneficial use' rule that allows ash dumping without safeguards.
• The report argues that the 2014 EPA coal ash rule provides essential minimum standards that Virginia should adopt, and it specifically opposes H.R. 1734, which it claims would 'gut' these protections and allow plants to delay the closure of inactive ponds.

APA

Earthjustice (n.d.). VIRGINIA’S TOXIC COAL ASH PROBLEM: The Need to Protect the Health, Safety and Water of Virginia. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/va20coal20ash20report.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. VIRGINIA’S TOXIC COAL ASH PROBLEM: The Need to Protect the Health, Safety and Water of Virginia. n.d. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/va20coal20ash20report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=VIRGINIA’S TOXIC COAL ASH PROBLEM: The Need to Protect the Health, Safety and Water of Virginia |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/va20coal20ash20report.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjusticendvirginias, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{VIRGINIA’S TOXIC COAL ASH PROBLEM: The Need to Protect the Health, Safety and Water of Virginia}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/va20coal20ash20report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }