A December 17th public hearing has been set for a new coal combustion waste (CCW) disposal site at the Coffeen Power Plant near Coffeen Lake. The new CCW landfill will include a dry landfill cell encompassing approximately 22 acres, with future expansions adding up to 2 additional cells covering 65 acres. The ash pond that has been closed and capped, yet is leaching, covers 57 acres. Leachate from the landfill, old ash pond and stormwater runoff from the site will contribute additional pollution to the already impaired Coffeen Lake, a popular recreational and subsistence fishing spot.
Just over one week ago, between 350 and 400 fish were killed when water temperatures in Baldwin Lake topped 100 degrees (read news article here). This is not an uncommon experience during warm summer stretches at lakes that serve the dual purposes of cooling water from power plants and providing recreational opportunities for residents. Fish kills are not the only impact, though, that high temperature discharges can have on a lake. {Continue Reading »}
The State of Illinois ranks eighth in the nation for the number of coal waste disposal sites, many of which are storage lagoons similar to the one that failed in Tennessee in December 2008. Recent USEPA reports indicate that coal waste leaches hazardous pollution in much greater quantities than had been recognized previously. In Illinois, our knowledge and capacity to coordinate the proper monitoring and management of these wastes needs to be updated to avoid our own disaster.
Click on the video below to view news report on the Tennessee disaster:
The Regional Water Supply Planning Committee (RWSPC) for east-central Illinois is accepting public comments on its draft final report “Plan to Improve the Planning and Management of Water Supplies in East-Central Illinois” through June 15, 2009. The report finds that withdrawals from the Mahomet Aquifer, the major source of water for Champaign County, could increase as much as 80 percent by 2050 if we take no action to reduce our use of water and plan for future needs. {Continue Reading »}
PRN staff testified on March 16th, 2009 at a public hearing for the One Earth Energy ethanol plant in Gibson City, Illinois. Our comments requested that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) issue a water permit that is truly protective of the diverse and sensitive species found in Drummer Creek. In particular, we asked IEPA to ensure that the waste discharged from the plant be cooled enough to protect native fish and the threatened and endangered mussels found in Drummer Creek.We also insisted that the Agency require additional testing of the wastewater to guarantee that chemical additives and other pollutants generated in the plant are not toxic to life in the stream.
IEPA is accepting written comments on One Earth Energy’s water permit until March 30th 2009. PRN is working on those comments now and will be posting the letter on our website. If you have any questions, please write Kim Knowles at kknowles@prairirerivers.org.
Update 4/8/09: To read PRN’s comments on One Earth Energy’s water permit click here.
Just over one week ago, between 350 and 400 fish were killed when water temperatures in Baldwin Lake topped 100 degrees (
The Regional Water Supply Planning Committee (RWSPC) for east-central Illinois is accepting public comments on its draft final report “Plan to Improve the Planning and Management of Water Supplies in East-Central Illinois” through June 15, 2009. The report finds that withdrawals from the Mahomet Aquifer, the major source of water for Champaign County, could increase as much as 80 percent by 2050 if we take no action to reduce our use of water and plan for future needs.