May 21

PPL Corp. has agreed to pay a $1.5 million civil penalty for a 2005 fly ash spill at its Martins Creek coal-fired power plant in Lower Mt. Bethel Township, Pa.

The company´s PPL Martins Creek LLC subsidiary and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection filed the settlement in Commonwealth Court. PPL also will continue its spill assessment and cleanup responsibilities.

The DEP filed a lawsuit following the incident. On Aug. 23, 2005, a leak developed in the facility´s waste ash basin, which lead to a spill of more than 50 million gallons of water and ash into the Delaware River. The basin is a lined, water-filled storage area for ash created by coal combustion. The ash settles to the bottom and the water from the surface discharges into the river.

Contact Waste News reporter Joe Truini at (330) 865-6166 or jtruini@crain.com

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