As the Illinois Pollution Control Board considers statewide rules to regulate coal ash, Vermilion County groups have stepped up to encourage stronger rules at the state level and additional consideration for closure of ash pits at the Dynegy Vermilion facility.
The Dynegy Vermilion power station currently stores coal ash – the toxic byproduct of coal combustion – in three pits located along the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River. All three pits are located in the floodplain; two of the pits are unlined and actively leaching into underlying groundwater.
Structural controls to protect the river from ash pits have failed.
Rules before the Illinois Pollution Control Board, as currently proposed, do not provide sufficient protection of water resources threatened by coal ash disposal. They are lacking in their protection of surface waters from contamination, provisions for public participation, and their designation of financial responsibility.
Resolutions passed by the Vermilion County Board, Soil & Water Conservation District, Vermilion County Conservation District, and Vermilion County Conservation Foundation have not only called on the Illinois Pollution Control Board to address these shortcomings, but have called on the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to address these issues as they apply to the Dynegy Vermilion closure plan.
Dynegy Midwest Generation, L.L.C. has proposed leaving the coal ash in place and simply capping the pits. This is a risky proposal. Groundwater contamination, seepage to the river, and direct discharges of coal ash decant and leachate will continue in perpetuity to the river system if the ash is not removed from the floodplain and placed in an engineered lined dry waste management unit.
Although local government groups do not have the power to determine coal ash rules, Vermilion County has shown how representatives can meaningfully engage in the rulemaking and regulatory processes occurring at the state level – speaking up on behalf of the communities and local resources that stand to be damaged by a coal ash breach.
In addition to the resolutions, over 500 petition signatures have been collected in support of complete removal of the coal ash. Add your name and signify your support for protecting surface and groundwater, as well as urging elected leaders to take action to prevent a tragedy like the coal ash spill in North Carolina from happening in Vermilion County.
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Update: an additional resolution was passed by the Lake Vermilion Water Quality Coalition in August
