In Illinois, The Risk Of Coal Ash Contamination Rises With Floodwaters

"Multiple coal ash sites in Illinois sit within or adjacent to flood plains, according to environmental watchdogs."

"With countless acres of flat, fertile farmland traversed by major rivers, Illinois is familiar with major flooding.

Just as towns were built along rivers in decades past, so were coal-fired power plants that relied on the water for cooling and transporting coal. Now, those plants — some defunct and some still operating — are also repositories for toxic coal ash that could pose a risk of contamination when floodwaters rise.

This may be of particular concern this spring, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicting a heavy flood year, including along the Mississippi River and its tributaries in Illinois.

Multiple coal ash impoundments along the Mississippi and its tributaries are located in flood plains, as depicted in interactive maps compiled by the Prairie Rivers Network using flood maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency."

Kari Lydersen reports for the Energy News Network April 12, 2019.

SEE ALSO:

"Coal Ash Contaminated Groundwater At Almost All Monitored Sites" (Bay Journal)

"First Comprehensive, National Study of Coal Ash Pollution Finds Widespread Groundwater Contamination" (Environmental Integrity Project)