by Traci Barkley, Water Resources Scientist

Illinois' 24 Coal-Fired Power Plants
Illinois’ 24 Coal-Fired Power Plants

Last December, residents living near the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston Steam Plant were flooded with approximately 1.6 billion gallons of toxic coal sludge. It covered the area equivalent to 100 city blocks and flooded into tributaries of the Tennessee River which is the water supply for Chattanooga, Tennessee and millions of people living downstream in Alabama. Burning of coal to make electricity produces solid and liquid waste that is typically stored on-site in huge piles (solids) and impoundments (solids and liquids). Unfortunately, the regulatory framework to control these wastes is weak and under-enforced. Proper management of coal waste is critical in protecting public drinking water supplies and the health of our natural environment.*

This disaster prompted then-Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn to request an assessment of Illinois’ 24 coal-fired power plants and 83 coal ash impoundments. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) conducted a preliminary evaluation and found that:

  1. At most impoundments (51 of 83), no liners to contain waste and prevent pollution of groundwater were installed;
  2. At most impoundments (55 of 83), no groundwater monitoring is required;
  3. At all of the power plant sites evaluated (6 out of 24), groundwater is contaminated;
  4. At most of the power plant sites (16 of 24), dams creating the impoundments are unpermitted and have not been inspected for safety or stability by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources – Office of Water Resources.

At the same time, U.S. EPA compiled data on the cancer risk of nearly half of the impoundment dump sites in the US, including Illinois, because among the hazardous constituents contained in power plant waste are 17 toxic chemicals including arsenic, mercury, cadmium, chromium, selenium, aluminum, antimony, barium, beryllium, boron, copper, lead, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, vanadium, and zinc. These contaminants cause birth defects, cancer, and neurological damage in humans, and similar damage to wildlife. EPA’s assessment was followed by an independent analysis of the same data by the Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice, a non-profit public interest law firm. According to the EIP/Earthjustice analysis of the EPA data, there are high-risk coal ash impoundment dump sites in at least three dozen states. Illinois ranks third, with 14 such sites.

Based on these assessments, it is fair to say that power plant waste presents a significant risk to clean water and public health in Illinois. Illinois is clearly bearing a great public risk that, until now, has received little attention. The current state of oversight of coal waste disposal is insufficient to protect our water supplies and resources adequately. Besides the ash impoundment dump sites, the State of Illinois also allows power plant waste to be dumped in active and abandoned coal mines. Requirements, responsibilities, and units of government providing oversight vary depending on where and how the waste is disposed of or used.

This lack of consistency creates opportunity for threats and problems to go undetected. In the near future at least, we expect to see greater production and disposal of coal waste. The state lacks the knowledge and capacity to coordinate the proper monitoring and management of these wastes needed to avoid a repeat of the Tennessee disaster here in Illinois. To that end, Prairie Rivers Network in collaboration with a variety of partners has committed to:

  1.  Pressure IEPA to ensure that existing coal waste disposal sites are managed safely and that future sites are designed to prevent harm to our communities and water supplies;
  2. Critically review and challenge proposed facilities and permits that do not include adequate protections and monitoring; and
  3. Work with Illinois legislators to update regulations governing coal waste use and disposal to ensure appropriate siting, proper pollution controls and adequate regulatory oversight.

How you can get involved:

  1. Find out about the coal waste risks nearest your community by calling Illinois EPA’s Division of Public Water Supplies at 217/785-4787.
  2. Work with your local watershed group to monitor your water.
  3. Join Prairie Rivers Network and contribute to our effort.

*Managing Coal Combustion Residues in Mines, National Research Council of the National Academies, 2006.

DRAFT U.S. EPA Human and Ecological Risk Assessment of Coal Combustion Waste, U.S. EPA, 2008.

Wastes from the combustion of fossil fuels: Volume 2- Methods, Findings, and Recommendations, U.S. EPA Report to Congress, 1999.