The close proximity of the coal ash landfill is also a major concern to area residents, who rely on shallow groundwater resources for domestic and agricultural uses.

CHAMPAIGN, IL — The Prairie Rivers Network, American Bottom Conservancy, and the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club are urging the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to deny a proposed water pollution discharge permit for the Prairie State Generating Company.

Fifty area residents packed a public hearing on the proposed permit  on January 17, 2013  because the permit does not adequately protect adjacent streams, underlying groundwater, and nearby residents.

In comments filed with the Illinois EPA on March 4, the groups raised objections to:

• A new 750-acre, 290-ft-tall coal ash landfill, which the Illinois EPA does not consider for additional water pollution in the draft permit. Coal ash contains elevated levels of harmful heavy metals and salts, and can be damaging to human health and the environment

• The transfer of polluted wastewater and runoff from the Lively Grove Mine to the power plant’s cooling towers where pollutants will be concentrated and ultimately discharged in adjacent streams

Additionally, the new coal ash landfill – which is currently under construction – would unnecessarily destroy nearly two miles of tributaries to Mud Creek and several acres of wetlands.  The close proximity of the coal ash landfill is also a major concern to area residents, who rely on shallow groundwater resources for domestic and agricultural uses.

The proposed permit, diagrams, and transcript of the January 17 public hearing are available here:

Proposed Permit:  http://www.epa.state.il.us/public-notices/2012/prairie-state-generating/index.pdf

Hearing Diagram 1: http://www.epa.state.il.us/public-notices/2012/prairie-state-generating/hearing-diagram-1.pdf

Hearing Diagram 2: http://www.epa.state.il.us/public-notices/2012/prairie-state-generating/hearing-diagram-2.pdf

Hearing Diagram 3: http://www.epa.state.il.us/public-notices/2012/prairie-state-generating/hearing-diagram-3.pdf

Hearing Diagram 4: http://www.epa.state.il.us/public-notices/2012/prairie-state-generating/hearing-diagram-4.pdf

Hearing Transcript: http://www.epa.state.il.us/public-notices/2012/prairie-state-generating/hearing-transcript.pdf

http://www.epa.state.il.us/public-notices/2012/prairie-state-generating/hearing-diagram-3.pdf

—  Traci Barkley, Water Resources Scientist, Prairie Rivers Network

BELLEVILLE, IL — “The Washington County plant uses more than a million gallons of water a day, which is treated before being released into the Kaskaskia River, according to Prairie State spokeswoman Ashlie Kuehn.

Environmentalists worry the plant’s use of water reserves from a nearby surface mine causes concentrated pollutants to be released into the Kaskaskia River.

‘The IEPA needs to be carefully monitoring what is the quality of that water coming from the mine,’ Cindy Skrukrud with the Sierra Club said. ‘How are pollutants going to be concentrated and what is the impact on the Kaskaskia River?’

…Another concern for residents and environmentalists is the collection of coal ash on the campus. The new ash pile will be an additional site for collecting the ash of nearly seven million tons of coal annually burned at the plant. Prairie State already has a coal ash pile 12 miles south of the current campus.”

— Daniel Kelley, Belleville News Democrat

link to article

Public comments open until February 18

Kathy Andria, member of the Illinois Sierra Club and Prairie Rivers Network

MARISSA, IL — “Neighbors of the Prairie State coal-fired power plant and clean water proponents are urging the Illinois EPA not to issue a modified version of the mine’s water pollution discharge permit due to the risks of  new sources of pollution at the plant.

These include:

• A new 750 acre, 290 feet tall coal ash landfill, which the Illinois EPA has not considered  for additional water pollution in the draft permit. Coal ash contains elevated levels of harmful heavy metals and salts, and can be damaging to human health and the environment

• The transfer of polluted wastewater and runoff from the Lively Grove Mine to the power plant’s cooling towers where pollutants will be concentrated and ultimately discharged in adjacent streams

Additionally, the new coal ash landfill – which is currently under construction – would unnecessarily destroy nearly two miles of tributaries to Mud Creek and several acres of wetlands.  The close proximity of the coal ash landfill also endangers drinking water quality for area residents, who rely on shallow groundwater resources for domestic and agricultural uses.

Written comments can be submitted electronically to the Illinois EPA by February 18^th, 2013 at [email protected], and should specify Prairie State Generating Company NPDES or IL0076996 in the subject line.”

— Brian Perbix, Grassroots Organizer, Prairie Rivers Network 

link to full press release

Washington County residents voice concern over water permit

MARISSA, IL – “Concerns over water and landfill use by a power company in Washington County were addressed by state environmental officials Thursday.

Area residents and environmental advocates were among those gathered at a public hearing in Marissa held by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.  The hearing regarded a water permit Prairie State Generating Company has applied for re-issuance of because its five-year limit on its previous permit will expire.”

— Lauren P. Duncan, Sentinel News Staff

link to article pdf

CHAMPAIGN, IL —  Despite a promise to the contrary made by then-president of Prairie State Generating Company (PSGC), Colin Kelly in 2005, a new coal ash landfill is being built in Washington County.  Nearly 750 acres of farmland, including county roads, stream corridors and wetlands have been purchased by PSGC and construction has begun for a disposal site for the coal ash left after burning coal at the new 1600 MW power generating station.  The landfill will also receive waste from the nearby underground Lively Grove coal mine which produces the coal to be burned at the plant.

Although the landfill is massive in size  and will be the final disposal site for millions of tons of coal ash, the toxic waste material left over from burning coal, no permit will be needed for its operation.  Illinois EPA has issued a  state construction permit but the long-term operation of the landfill is considered “exempt” from being required to have an enforceable permit under Illinois solid waste regulations because it will contain waste materials that are generated “onsite”.  This is of great concern as coal ash is full of heavy metals like mercury, arsenic, selenium, chromium and cadmium, which can cause cancer and brain damage in humans and are harmful to fish and wildlife.

Public objections to this coal ash landfill have mounted because, during construction of the raw water impoundment at the Prairie State Generating Station in 2008, the contractor encountered a “previously-unidentified sand layer beneath the proposed dam.”  The dam was still built though PSGC commissioned an investigation of the potential seepage through the sand layer.  The study determined that “it is likely that the impounded water will be in contact with the sand stratum at multiple locations, ” meaning that there is potential for seepage from the raw water impoundment to the underlying shallow sand aquifer.  Seepage mitigation was deemed necessary including relief wells around the base of the impoundment.  This will draw down the water table as evidenced by the draft water pollution discharge permit which was public-noticed this past August: “Relief wells are needed to remove this water in order to provide stable, drained soils for the berms.  Eight relief wells have been installed and will combine for a total flow of 0.02 million gallons per day”.  This so-called “groundwater seepage” will be discharged to an adjacent stream under the water pollution discharge permit.

One concern is that this water drawdown will also be necessary for improving conditions for construction and operation of a coal ash landfill adjacent to the raw water impoundment.  Already, existing wetlands and streams are proposed to be removed to allow construction of the coal ash landfill. A permit to fill the streams and wetlands has been sought from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  Should this groundwater supply, already used by adjacent landowners, be allowed to be pumped down by PSGC to facilitate construction of their coal ash landfill?  Does the presence of this underlying shallow aquifer threaten the integrity and stability of the landfill?  What are the threats to both water supply and water quality for area water users and those that rely on the Kaskaskia River downstream?

— Traci Barkley, Water Resources Scientist, Prairie Rivers Network

NASHVILLE, IL — “While unrelated to a violation of the Open Meetings Act that occurred in 2012, a few Washington county Board members will be attending a seminar where the law will be discussed…

According to the Open Meetings Act, a public body is allowed to discuss litigation in closed session, however a public access opinion written by Counsel to the Attorney General Michael J. Luke posted on the Attorney General’s website on Nov.5 states it does not appear that the finance committee had a reasonable basis to believe that a lawsuit was impending. Also, although a letter was sent by a company leader to Meyer in which a lawsuit was suggested, the letter was sent three months before the illegal closed session meeting was held and was sent by the president of the company, not an attorney.”

— Lauren P Duncan, Morning Sentinel

link to article pdf

NASHVILLE, IL — “Recent information from the Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office finds that the Washington County Board Finance Committee is in violation of the Open Meetings Act.

The violation occurred when the committee met to discuss an ordinance authorizing a local company to build and operate a landfill within the county.

‘After a full review and giving due consideration to the arguments of the parties, the Public Access Counselor’s findings and the applicable law, the Attorney General finds that on June 25, 2012, the Finance Committee of the Washington County Board discussed in a closed session a proposed ordinance and hosting agreement ralting to a landfill [permit] for the disposal of coal ash,’ the information states.”

— Reanne Palmer, Morning Sentinel

link to article (pdf)

MARISSA, IL — “Despite promises that a coal ash from the Prairie State Energy Campus near Marissa would not be stored in Washington County, the company has filed an application for a permit for a 240-acre storage site on flat farmland adjacent to the mine property.

The permit seeks permission ‘to impact approximately 3.75 acres of manmade emergent wetland, 9,300 linear feet of an unnamed, primary
tributary to Mud Creek and 1,245 linear feet of a previously straightened, unnamed secondary tributary to Mud Creek,” according to permit application 2818.

‘The proposed impacts are associated with the construction of a 740 acre Near Field Monofill to dispose of the coal combustion byproducts generated by (Prairie State Generating Company’s) new power plant.'”

— Mark Hodapp, Carlyle Union Banner

link to article (pdf)

This diagram from an Army Corps of Engineers permit application shows the proposed location of a coal ash storage facility in Washington County, Illinois.

WASHINGTON COUNTY, IL — “On June 26, the Washington County Board met behind closed doors with the lawyer from Prairie State and passed an amendment to an ordinance that granted the company permission to build a 720-acre coal ash landfill on flat farmland near the controversial Marissa, Illinois, plant.

The amendment allowed the company to bypass the normal zoning process, which would have involved public hearings, and negotiate a contract for the landfill with the county—all out of the public eye.

Critics of the company contend that the coal ash landfill jeopardizes air and water quality in the area. They say that it will add huge costs to a project that’s already $1 billion over budget. And they suspect Prairie State pressured Washington County into approving the landfill by threatening legal action if the county didn’t approve it.”

— Dan Ferber, Midwest Energy News

link to article

OKAWVILLE, IL — “A liner in the monofill will prevent the coal ash chemicals from leeching into the ground water.

A site adjacent to the coal mine/power plant will be excavated for the coal ash.

Prairie State will also divert a creek on the tract to accommodate a coal ash pile.

When both units are in operation, the Energy Campus will produce 11,000 tons of coal ash a day. The pile will grow to 260 feet in the 30-year life span of the Energy Campus.”

— The Okawville Times

link to article