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http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/25/us/n-c-coal-ash-spill/index.htmlState warns residents near coal ash spill to avoid fish, contact with river water
By Steve Almasy and Nelli Black, CNN
updated 11:35 PM EST, Tue February 25, 2014
Charlotte, N.C. (CNN) -- The fallout over one of the largest coal ash spills in U.S. history continued Tuesday as environmentalists staged a protest at the headquarters of the company responsible for the incident, the federal government launched a criminal investigation, and officials warned residents near the potentially contaminated river to avoid contact with the water until testing Is finished.
Residents who live on the Dan River in North Carolina near the retired Duke Energy power plant where millions of gallons of coal ash and wastewater were leaked also were advised to skip eating fish from the water for now.
The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Tuesday told Duke Energy it is considering changes to its wastewater permits for coal ash ponds after the February 2 leak at the former plant in Eden.
Dozens of demonstrators paraded in front of the corporate headquarters of Duke Energy in Charlotte, demanding answers to what environmentalists believe are many questions in the wake of the spill, which dumped coal ash, the byproduct of burning coal, which is made up of aluminum oxide, iron oxide and silicon oxide. It also contains arsenic, mercury and other metals.
The natural resources department said Tuesday it has been testing the water near the plant since the incident and began this week to catch fish for testing.
"This needs to be our last wake-up call. Our last coal ash spill," said Mary Anne Hitt of the Sierra Club.
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KoKo
(84,711 posts)on that water will not survive. I don't think that's talked about enough. And, I've read the spill is washing downstream and getting close to Jordan Lake which is a water supply for thousands.
G_j
(40,367 posts)(and this was reported a week ago)
North Carolina riverbed coated by toxic coal ash, officials say
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/feb/18/north-carolina-river-coal-ash-spill
Fish and other aquatic life at risk in Dan river, about 70 miles from where massive Duke Energy spill occurred two weeks ago
Federal officials said Tuesday that toxic coal ash has coated the bottom of a North Carolina river as many as 70 miles downstream of a Duke Energy dump where a massive spill occurred two weeks ago.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service advised that a massive pile of coal ash about 75ft long and as much as 5ft deep has been detected on the bottom of the Dan river near the site of the February 2 spill. Deposits varying from 5in deep to less than 1in coated the river bottom across the state line into Virginia and to Kerr Lake, a major reservoir.
Federal authorities expressed concern for what long-term effect the contaminants will have on fish, mussels and other aquatic life. Public health officials have advised people to avoid contact with the water and not eat the fish.
The deposits vary with the river characteristics, but the short- and long-term physical and chemical impacts from the ash will need to be investigated more thoroughly, especially with regard to mussels and fish associated with the stream bottom and wildlife that feed on benthic invertebrates, said Tom Augspurger, a contaminants specialist at the federal wildlife agency. Benthic invertebrates are small animals that live in the sediments of rivers and lakes, such as clams, worms and crustaceans.
The Dan River system in North Carolina and Virginia is home to two federally listed endangered species, the Roanoke logperch fish and the James spinymussel. The river also has another freshwater mussel, the green floater, which is currently being evaluated for protection under the US Endangered Species Act.
Officials said the coal ash is burying aquatic animals and their food. The ash, generated when coal is burned to generate electricity, could also clog gill tissues in fish and mussels. The agency said public reports of dead aquatic turtles at two state parks in Virginia had not yet been verified by federal biologists.
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jwirr
(39,215 posts)Does anyone know if migration out of these damaged areas is a problem?