Dan River water tests show differing results

February 10, 2014 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

Last week (Sunday, February 2), Duke Energy's Dan River Steam Station spilled an estimated 50,000 to 82,000 tons of coal ash, mixed with 27 million gallons of water, into the Dan River near Eden, North Carolina. The results of water samples from what could be the third-largest coal ash spill in U.S. history are now in.

Credit: North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources

State test results from the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) completed Thursday for a number of water quality parameters, including 17 metals, show no violations of state water quality standards for most samples taken Monday and Tuesday near the site of the coal ash spill in Eden. Test results for the remaining parameters will be released soon.

Copper was above the state action level surface water standard both Monday and Tuesday. While levels of copper decreased significantly on Tuesday, DENR will continue to monitor copper and the other elements.

DENR is still waiting on metals analysis to be completed for boron, titanium, vanadium, iron, cobalt, beryllium, aluminum, selenium, lithium, manganese and strontium. A monitoring plan to characterize coal ash in the river bed and along the river banks is in development and will be implemented in the coming days.

Duke says the sampling results released by DENR are consistent with the company's own analysis.

However, a certified laboratory analysis of Waterkeeper Alliances' samples reveals that the water immediately downstream of Duke Energy's ash spill is contaminated with extremely high levels of arsenic, chromium, iron, lead and other toxic metals typically found in coal ash.

Laboratory results also show that, compared to the levels found in a "background" water sample taken upstream of the spill, arsenic levels immediately downstream of the spill are nearly 30 times higher, chromium levels are more than 27 times higher, and lead levels are more than 13 times higher due to coal ash waste.

Waterkeeper's testing found an arsenic concentration in the water immediately below the discharge of .349 mg/L -- almost 35 times greater than the maximum contaminant level (MCL) standard that EPA considers acceptable in drinking water.

Waterkeeper Alliance also found a lead concentration in the polluted water of 0.129 mg/L. The concentration found immediately downstream of Duke Energy's coal ash spill is more than 1,000 times greater than EPA's recommended action level to prevent contamination of drinking water.

Levels of other contaminants found in the sampling just below the discharge include: Manganese: .576 mg/L; Boron: .314 mg/L; Calcium: 34.7 mg/L; Zinc: .224 mg/L; and Iron: 84.6 mg/L.

"On Tuesday when I collected these samples, coal ash continued to spill out of the pipe into the Dan River," said Donna Lisenby, Global Coal campaign coordinator for Waterkeeper Alliance. "Waterkeeper Alliance is very concerned that there was a delay in the release of sample results from Duke Energy. They were aware of the spill and collected samples long before we did."

A catch basin, along with a series of pumps at the end of the stormwater pipe, has been installed, which Duke Energy says has virtually eliminated any outflow to the river and any release is being captured and pumped back into a safe area of the ash basin.

"We're committed to the Dan River and the communities that it serves," said Charlie Gates, senior vice president of Duke's Power Generation Operations. "We are accountable for what has happened and have plenty of work ahead of us."

Duke Energy is designing a long-term river cleanup plan in close coordination with federal and state environmental agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NCDENR.

For more:
- see this report
- see this report
- see this map

http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/dan-river-water-tests-show-differing-results/2014-02-10