Coal Ash Spills In North Carolina

Clean coal technology usually addresses atmospheric problems resulting from burning coal. Historically, the primary focus was on sulfur dioxide and particulates, since it is the most important gas in the causation of acid rain. More recent focus has been on carbon dioxide (due to its impact on global warming) as well as other pollutants. Concerns exist regarding the economic viability of these technologies and the timeframe of delivery, potentially high hidden economic costs in terms of social and environmental damage, and the costs and viability of disposing of removed carbon and other toxic matter. More, the byproducts of coal power production range from fly ash sludge ponds full of mercury, arsenic, and sulfur in unlined ponds that can leak into the water supply.

Coal ash is a byproduct of burning coal in power plants and is composed mainly of aluminum and silicon oxides. This ash is commonly stored away in dump sites, only to leach out solutions of concentrated toxic heavy metals. Such issues are detrimental to the health of water systems, posing both a human and environmental health risk. However, there are solutions to this problem. Coal ash possesses unique chemical properties that allow for the remediation of other environmental concerns, such as the treatment of soil polluted with heavy metals, the removal of nutrients from wastewater, and the remediation of acid mine drainage in streams.

I would have to say that from the reading that it can be very harmful for the coal mining chemicals to seep into the ground into our drinking water.

Many companies have made money from the coal industry; however, the money has not stayed within the state. Big businesses have exploited the resources creating rich executives and leaving the Appalachian area stripped of its bounty. Currently, big businesses are involved in mountain-top removal to remove resources from our mountains. This leaves many of the beautiful mountains destroyed, pollutes the water systems and kills the wildlife and vegetation. The coal industry which once supported many families in the Appalachian area is now becoming the downfall of our tourist

Coal tar is extremely toxic and contains a highly carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), as well as other toxic chemicals, and at the bottom of Randle Reef there lies one million tons of coal tar. To put that in perspective, that is enough tar to fill the FirstOntario Centre over three

Things like mining too far into a wall that connects to an older mine, thus increasing the danger of a collapse, is common. Other practices include shoddy dams that contain the slurry, a mixture of water and fine particles of coal, which do not always meet structural regulations that can and have broken and flood nearby communities (Light and Light, 2006). There are other environmental issues that are associated with coal mining. Acid mine drainage is the result of sulfide minerals being exposed to oxygen. This produces sulfuric acid and can dissolve heavy metals from the waste rock, making it bioavailable. Without proper treatment, this will poison the water systems near that mine and will seep into the streams, creeks, and even ground and well water. The water turns orange and is impossible for anything to live off of the water or in it (Kirsch, 2014). Another issue of coal mining is airborne coal dust, which can result in Black Lung disease. This is caused by inhaling too much coal dust and is common in miners, but with surface mining becoming more prevalent, more coal dust is being released into the air and drifting down to the communities. More children and elderly people are having respiratory problems that many believe are because of

Mining enough coal to supply the world, would really take a toll on Alaska’s climate because of its vast environmental impact. In the article, “There Is No Such Thing as Clean Coal” the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) states that the main sources of pollution due to the production of coal is “methane emissions” and “particular matter emissions” (2). Not only is the burning of coal harmful to the environment, the coal transportation after it is mined also poses a huge threat. The NRDC clarifies that “diesel burning trucks, trains, and barges that transport coal spew dangerous chemicals into the earth’s atmosphere” (2). Not only is it harmful to the atmosphere, but also to the land and water if it happens to be spilled. The EPA states, “truck records indicate that truck accidents near streams are likely over the long period of mining operations” (19). The addition of these toxic emissions to the earth will greatly influence the issue of global warming on our planet and could potentially become irreparable which would make life much harder for future generations.

Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a response update to assess potential impacts to human and aquatic life (2014). The method the EPA employed was to analyze surface water and sediments for contaminants and compare those results to its screening levels. To assess impact to human health, the EPA compared the sediment data to health risk screening levels and compared drinking water samples to Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) as well as to other indicators. Overall, the EPA found those levels found in sediment data and water samples to not exceed human health screening levels and thus determined that there wasn’t significant risk to human health, although the EPA did recommend that people do not come in direct contact with coal ash as it could still pose health risks. These findings were consistent with that of Dr. Shea.

The third largest coal ash spill in United States history has left some citizens in North Carolina fearing their water is not safe to drink. This fear is a result of anywhere between 50,000 and 82,000 tons of coal ash and up to twenty-seven million gallons of contaminated water being dumped into the Dan River in Eden, North Carolina on February 2, 2014. The spill was caused by a busted storm drain pipe that ran under an unlined coal ash pond at Duke Energy’s Dan River Combined Cycle Station (“Duke Energy’s Grievous”). Coal ash is a byproduct of burning coal for energy and contains substances such as arsenic, lead, and mercury. These toxic chemicals are not only harmful to the environment but to the human population as well (Christian).

Coal seam gas is a much cleaner source than for example, burning fossil fuels. Water contamination

The Coal Ash Rule restricts when new impoundments can be placed and used. For example, if there is a wetland and there are animals that are already endangered, then you aren't allowed to place a coal generated power plant there. Coal ash pollution causes damage to our nervous system and creates cardiovascular issues. Also, coal ash can trigger/worsen urinary tract, lung, and skin cancer. On December 22nd, 2008, the biggest toxic waste spill in U.S. history happened in Kingston, Tennessee. The Kingston Fossil Plant was a coal ash dam that burst and leaked 1,100,000,000 toxic waste across 300 acres. 40 nearby homes were damaged or destroyed and rivers were polluted. To clean up all of the damages and rivers cost three million dollars. After this

Two years ago, in Eden, North Carolina, thousands of tons of coal ash and twenty-seven million gallons of contaminated

North Carolina’s old economy was being powered with fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. U.S. Energy Information Administration explains the location of the fossil fuels in North Carolina. It is stated that Deep River coalfield in central North Carolina is the only area known to have coal. Bituminous coal was produced from this field intermittenly from 1854 to 1953. Production in the Deep River area ceased because the remaining coal is deeply buried, and the coalbeds are badly broken by many faults. It is estimated that more than 110 million tons of coal exist in that area, but, because of the faults, less than half of the coal might ever be mined. This means that the tremors and earthquakes in that area made it impossible to mine

With that being said here are some environmental impacts of coal you may not know about. The air pollutants cause acid rain, smog ,respiratory illnesses, cancers and toxins in the environment. Coal miners can get respiratory illnesses from the coal dust while mining. If an abandoned coal mine catches fire it puts tons of mercury into the atmosphere, this happens every year and is responsible for three percent of carbon dioxide emissions globally. The second largest contributor to

The deadly components of the coal ash contains the elements such as arsenic, selenium, boron, and many other deadly substances that contributed to the pollution of Dan River. Even though fatal, when combined these elements are actually very useful and resourceful since they created electricity. In 2013 this mixture of coal ash contributed to 39 percent of the energy in the United States. Duke Energy and many other utility companies used this coal to generate electricity by burning it and creating a cheaper and more efficient source of energy. This incident never had a back-up plan and wasn’t thought out by Duke Energy’s engineers; for many years, the ash was just kept in pits underwater near the power plants. Due to the damages and negligence of Duke Energy, they now face a multimillion-dollar problem because not only do they have to make up for the spill into Dan River, but also they have to get rid of all of their buried ash throughout every power plant they own.