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Here’s the Myth…….

Coal Ash Pollution in NC: A Fish and Wildlife Perspective Dennis Lemly USDA-Forest Service and Wake Forest University dlemly@fs.fed.us lemlyad@wfu.edu. Coal is an Important Energy Source, But The Truth is Much Different Than The “Clean Coal” Myth Voiced by Industry. Here’s the Myth……. 1990’s.

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Here’s the Myth…….

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  1. Coal Ash Pollution in NC: A Fish and Wildlife PerspectiveDennis LemlyUSDA-Forest ServiceandWake Forest Universitydlemly@fs.fed.uslemlyad@wfu.edu

  2. Coal is an Important Energy Source, But The Truth is Much Different ThanThe “Clean Coal” Myth Voiced by Industry

  3. Here’s the Myth…….

  4. 1990’s 2000 2012

  5. “Clean Coal” is an Intentionally Deceptive Term Introduced and Promoted by the Electric Utility Industry in Advertising Campaigns to Persuade the Public to Think Differently About Coal-Based Energy. It Stems from Air Quality Improvements in SO2, NOX and CO2 Emissions….It has Nothing to do With Mining and Combustion Waste (ASH). Yet, Industry Would Have you Believe That it Does, and Uses This Disguise to Improve its Public Image.

  6. First, There’s The Mining Pollution

  7. A “Before” Scene in West Virginia – 1980’s

  8. A “During” Scene in West Virginia – 2002

  9. An “After” Scene in West Virginia – 2012

  10. Overburden is Removed and Dumped intoAdjacent Valleys…..Buries Streams

  11. Scenes of Destruction...Abandoned Mine Site

  12. “Reclaimed” Mountaintop

  13. Operational Valley Fill….There was a Stream Here Before Mining

  14. Valley Fill to the Back Door

  15. Toxic Water Leaching Out of a Valley Fill

  16. (USGS 2008)

  17. Over 2500 miles of streams buried by valley fills since 1995. • Clean Water Act standards and regulations not enforced by states or EPA. • Irreparable damage to streams and their fauna. • Local fish extirpated due to habitat loss and toxic water. • Fish poisoned downstream due to transport and bioaccumulation of selenium, which causes deformities and reproductive failure.

  18. Selenium Poisoning in Fish • Selenium is a paradox -- required in the diet in small amounts (1-3 ug/g or ppm) but slightly more (5-10 ppm) is toxic. • Bioaccumulation in aquatic food chain results in 1000-5000x higher levels in fish and their eggs than in water. • Parent female deposits Se from her diet into egg yolk…..larval fish absorb selenium from yolk when they hatch…....Excess Se causes teratogenic deformity of skeletal features and edema. • Deformed larvae often die prior to swim-up, but some may survive and exhibit a wide array of developmental abnormalities, which are a biomarker of Se poisoning. • End result of embryo-larval poisoning is reproductive failure. • Reproductive failure can eliminate fish populations without visible “fish kills”.

  19. Symptoms of Selenium Poisoning Normal Trout Larva

  20. Skeletal Deformity

  21. Some Deformities Persist in Adults

  22. Then, There’s The Coal Ash Waste Pollution

  23. Belews Creek Steam Station, NC…. A Large Coal-Fired Power Plant

  24. Large Plants Burn 200+ Train Cars of Coal Per Day

  25. This Requires a Mountain of Coal……

  26. Which Goes in Looking Like This….

  27. And Comes Out Looking Like This….. There are 629 Active Coal Ash Ponds in the US….And Even More “Closed” Ponds That Continue to Leach and Seep Selenium

  28. Selenium Dissolves From Ash, Enters Surface Waters….

  29. Causes Deformities and Reproductive Failure….A 1980 Photo From Belews Lake, NC 19 of 20 Species Eliminated

  30. A 2013 Photo From Lake Sutton, NC.Same Electric Utility and Same Selenium Toxicity 33 Years Later 29% of Bluegill Deformed

  31. Active Ash Disposal Sites Where Selenium and Other Contaminants Exceed Water Quality Standards……Very Few (<5%) Have Been Studied for Biological Effects

  32. EPA Designates High Hazard Sites Because of Risks to Public Health and the Environment. It Has Identified 181 of These Nationwide

  33. What Does The Environmental Damage Cost? 5 Key Value Components of Cost 1. Ecological Value 2. Recreational Value 3. Human Health and Consumptive Use 4. Property Value 5. Aesthetic Value

  34. Environmental Damage Cost at Duke Energy Sites in North Carolina Belews Lake = $531,153,873 (1976-2006) Hyco Reservoir = $864,742,344 (1978-2005) Mayo Reservoir = $80,825,500 (2000-2007) Lake Sutton* = $217,466,700 (1987-present) Dan River** = $295,485,000 (6-month assessment) Total*** = $1,989,673,417 (2014 dollars) *Only partial monetization of damage was possible due to lack of small fish to evaluate. **Damage valuation is on-going and not complete. ***Only 5 of 14 sites have been investigated.

  35. Then, There’s Catastrophic Failure of Surface Impoundments

  36. 84 Acre Ash Containment Area and Adjacent Ash Ponds at Kingston, TN

  37. 300 Acres Inundated with up to 30 feet of Ash Following the Blowout in December 2008

  38. View of the Emory River Soon After The Spill

  39. This Was a Choice Waterfront Homesite

  40. Catastrophic Property Damage

  41. A Poignant Example of Private Property Risks From Surface Disposal of Coal Ash

  42. Cleanup……Years and $$ Billions

  43. Dredging 285 Acres of River Bottom

  44. Again and Again….Oct. 31, 2011, Lake Michigan

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