Sixteen coal ash pits contaminating Texas groundwater -report

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Sixteen coal ash pits in Texas are leaking contaminants into groundwater, including arsenic, boron, cobalt and lithium, according to a report released on Thursday by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP).


Coal ash is the residue left after coal has been burned to generate power, and can include sludge from plant exhaust stacks. Coal ash is placed in pits or ponds next to coal power plants.

The report from the national environmental group also said a federal rule governing coal pits would not prevent groundwater contamination.

“A history of weak regulatory oversight has led to this problem, and only a stronger regulatory framework can fix it,” the report said. “Unfortunately, neither the federal Coal Ash Rule nor Texas’s proposed coal ash program rise to that challenge.”

The pollutants leaking into groundwater from coal ash pits can potentially can cause cancer and damage the human brain, heart and lungs, the EIP report said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed for looser regulations for coal plants as part of a campaign pledge to boost coal production.


https://www.reuters.com/article/legal-us-usa-texas-coal-pollution/sixteen-coal-ash-pits-contaminating-texas-groundwater-report-idUSKCN1PB2HB