Georgia Power ash pond closures continue across the state

ALBANY — Georgia Power announced Tuesday the latest progress on its plan to safely close all of its 29 coal ash ponds across the state.

Coal ash is the waste product left over after coal is burned. It is typically stored by mixing the product with water in what is called a “pond” disposal site. The ash itself includes fly ash, a fine powdery particle that is carried up the smoke stack and captured by pollution control devices, as well as the heavier material that collects at the bottom of the furnace. Most coal ash produced in the United States comes from coal-fired electric power plants.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, an estimated 140 million tons of coal ash is generated annually, making it the second-largest industrial waste stream in the United States behind mine wastes.

According to Georgia Power officials, all ash ponds will cease operations and stop receiving ash within the next three years. Additionally, the company is completely removing the ash from 17 ponds located adjacent to lakes or rivers where advanced engineering closure methods, such as the installation of impermeable concrete barriers designed to restrict or isolate the closed pond from groundwater, may not be feasible.

The ash from these ponds will be relocated to a permitted landfill, consolidated with other closing ash ponds or recycled for beneficial use, company officials said.

Approximately 50 percent of the coal ash Georgia Power produces today is recycled for various uses, such as Portland cement, concrete and cinder blocks.

“The company’s remaining 12 ash ponds are in the process of being closed in place, using advanced engineering methods,” said Aaron Mitchell, Georgia Power General Manger of Environmental Affairs.

The slurry in coal ash ponds, depending on where the coal was mined, typically contains heavy metals including arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, selenium, barium, boron, cobalt, manganese, thallium and zinc, according to the EPA.

“If eaten, drunk or inhaled, these toxicants can cause cancer and nervous system impacts such as cognitive deficits, developmental delays and behavior problems,” according to the United States Affiliate of International Physicians website. “They can also cause heart damage, lung disease, respiratory distress, kidney disease, reproductive problems, gastrointestinal illness, birth defects and impaired bone growth in children.”

Ash pond closures are site-specific and balance multiple factors such as pond size, location, geology and amount of material; and each closure will be certified by a team of independent, professional engineers, company officials said.

“Throughout the closure process, Georgia Power is monitoring groundwater around all of its ash ponds and reporting the results to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, as well as posting to the company’s web site,” said Mitchell. “Additionally, more than 500 groundwater monitoring wells will continue to operate even after the ponds are closed.”

According to Mitchell, the closure of all 29 ash ponds will cost between $1.5 billion and $2 billion by the time the project is completed.

This is a developing story.