Coal Combustion Waste Damage Cases Out of Control

The report documents 31 cases of environmental contamination from coal combustion waste (CCW) across 14 US states, identifying that 15 sites have off-site contamination exceeding drinking water or surface water standards, while 16 show severe on-site pollution. It highlights the presence of toxic metals such as arsenic, lead, and selenium, and argues that the lack of federal regulation for CCW disposal poses a significant risk to public health and the environment, particularly in low-income communities.

• Coal-fired power plants produce nearly 140 million tons of combustion wastes annually, containing toxic metals like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and selenium.
• The report identifies 31 CCW sites with known contamination of groundwater, wetlands, creeks, or rivers across 14 states: Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
• Of the 31 identified sites, 15 have contamination that has migrated off-site at levels exceeding drinking water or surface water quality standards, while the other 16 exhibit severe on-site pollution.
• Combined with 71 cases previously identified by the EPA, the total number of documented damaged sites exceeds 100.
• Contamination is not limited to ash ponds; 11 of the documented sites involve 'dry landfills' and two involve 'structural fills' marketed as beneficial reuse.
• Arsenic, a human carcinogen, was found at 21 of the 31 sites, with levels reaching up to 145 times the federal drinking water standard.
• Lead was detected at 9 sites at levels up to 10 times the federal safe level, and selenium exceeded water quality criteria at 7 sites, including one West Virginia stream where it was more than 9.5 times the limit.
• At the Colstrip Power Plant in Montana, boron contamination in drinking water wells sickened residents and led to a $25 million settlement in 2008.
• In Tennessee, the Trans-Ash CCW Landfill caused mercury contamination in a private residential well at 5.5 to 6.5 times the federal MCL, prompting an EPA Emergency Removal Action.
• In West Virginia, the John Amos and Mitchell plants discharge selenium into Little Scary Creek and Conner Run at levels 6 to 7 times the EPA's proposed fish tissue criterion.
• The report argues that the EPA's Toxicity Leaching Characteristic Procedure (TCLP) test is an inaccurate method for measuring the leaching potential of toxic metals from coal ash in natural environments.
• Environmental justice concerns are highlighted as 22 of the 31 sites are located in communities with family poverty rates above the national median.
• The report concludes that coal combustion wastes are currently not subject to any federal regulations, leaving a loophole that the EPA has yet to close.

APA

Earthjustice (2010). Coal Combustion Waste Damage Cases Out of Control. https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/library/reports/ej-eipreportout-of-control-final.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. Coal Combustion Waste Damage Cases Out of Control. 2010. https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/library/reports/ej-eipreportout-of-control-final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=Coal Combustion Waste Damage Cases Out of Control |date=24 February 2010 |url=https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/library/reports/ej-eipreportout-of-control-final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjustice2010coal, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Coal Combustion Waste Damage Cases Out of Control}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2010}, month = feb, url = {https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/library/reports/ej-eipreportout-of-control-final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }