What’s In Your Water?A Discussion of Threats To Virginia’s Water Quality
March 27- 28, 2015 William and Mary School of Law
Dr. John L. Daniels, P.E.Professor and Chair
Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUNC Charlotte
Sent: Monday, February 10, 2014 2:39 PMTo: Daniels, JohnSubject: media query
Here's my question for you or someone you might refer me to: Did Duke violate any principle of civil engineering in expanding the ash basin in question over a corrugated-metal stormwater pipe? The pipeline, when it failed, served as a conduit for ash and wastewater to the river.
From: Daniels, John Sent: Monday, February 10, 2014 5:31 PMSubject: RE: media query Thanks for your note and question. Appropriately designed, constructed, and maintained corrugated metal pipe can pass underneath a variety of infrastructure, including ash ponds.
ComparisonsSite Date Mass of
Ash(tons)
Volume of Water(million gallons)
PPLMartins Creek StationDelaware RiverBangor, PA
2005 160,000 100
TVAEmory and Clinch RiversKingston, TN
2008 5,100,000 1,100
Duke EnergyDan River StationDan RiverEden, NC
2014 39,000 27
Coal Combustion Basics
Source: Duke Energy, http://www.dukepower.com/community/learningcenter/generating/coal/coalplants.asp
Duke Energy asks for coal ash leaks to continueBy Jim Bradley 4:40 p.m. EDT, Fri March 13, 2015
CHARLOTTE, N.C. —
Environmental groups said Duke Energy and state regulators are attempting to legalize potential toxic leaks from controversial coal ash ponds. New permits for three Charlotte area sites show Duke is requesting permission to allow multiple leaks to continue. Duke Energy's coal ash disaster is well-documented. Last year, a failure at a coal ash pond near the Virginia border sent a toxic sludge of coal ash into the Dan River. Since then, Duke Energy has agreed to pay a $100 million fine to the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
http://m.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/duke-energy-asks-coal-ash-leaks-continue/nkWZD/
Duke Energy asks for coal ash leaks to continueBy Jim Bradley 4:40 p.m. EDT, Fri March 13, 2015
CHARLOTTE, N.C. —
Environmental groups said Duke Energy and state regulators are attempting to legalize potential toxic leaks from controversial coal ash ponds. New permits for three Charlotte area sites show Duke is requesting permission to allow multiple leaks to continue. Duke Energy's coal ash disaster is well-documented. Last year, a failure at a coal ash pond near the Virginia border sent a toxic sludge of coal ash into the Dan River. Since then, Duke Energy has agreed to pay a $100 million fine to the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
http://m.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/duke-energy-asks-coal-ash-leaks-continue/nkWZD/
Leachability“Under the regulations subsequently promulgated, a waste is considered “hazardous” and subject to regulation under Subtitle C if it exhibits any one of four characteristics of hazardousness—ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity. 40 C.F.R. §§ 261.11(a)(1), 261.20–24 (2012). The characteristic of toxicity is “the leaching of toxic residues into surrounding liquid,” Envtl. Def. Fund, 852 F.2d at 1310, as determined using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (“Leaching Procedure”) set forth in EPA Publication SW-846, 40 C.F.R. § 261.24.
Disposal of all other solid wastes is regulated under Subtitle D of the Act.” Source: Case 1:12-cv-00523-RBW Document 40 Filed 10/29/13 Page 4 of 35
14
Data Sources:
-Characterization of Coal Combustion Residues from Electric Utilities – Leaching and Characterization Data, EPA-600/R-09/151 December 2009
-Lindsay, W. L. 1979. Chemical equilibria in soils. John Wiley, as cited in Ground Water Issue, Behavior of Metals in Soils EPA/540/S-92/018
-A Study of the Metal Content of Municipal Solid Waste, Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory, NIST (prepared for US DOE), 1998
Solid Phase Concentration Comparisons
Evaluating trace elements in groundwater
Background concentrations:may exceed standards
Credit: J. Daniels/B. Langley
Typical Leachate DataColumn Leach Test - Cadmium
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Pore Volumes
Co
nc
entr
atio
n, u
g/L
1/6/2004 Samples (Low SPLP)
11/12/2003 Samples (High SPLP)
7 Day Composite Samples
GW Standard = 5 ug/L
17
Numerical Model (MODFLOW):Fate and Transport Sensitivity
AnalysisBoron concentration at compliance boundary
Compliance boundary
0
50
100
150
200
2/5/2014 2/6/2014 2/7/2014
Upstream - Dissolved - µg/L
aluminum arsenic iron copper
0
50
100
150
200
250
2/5/2014 2/6/2014 2/7/2014
Downstream - Dissolved - µg/L
aluminum arsenic iron copper
No NC Water Quality standards for dissolved metals
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
2/3/2014 2/4/2014 2/5/2014 2/6/2014 2/7/2014
Upstream - Total - µg/L
aluminum arsenic iron copper
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
2/3/2014 2/4/2014 2/5/2014 2/6/2014 2/7/2014
Downstream - Total - µg/L
aluminum arsenic iron copper
Applicable Standard:
Aluminum – 87 µg/L (aquatic)
Iron – 1000 µg/L (aquatic health)
Reported as 16,000 µg/L
0
10
20
30
40
50
2/3/2014 2/4/2014 2/5/2014 2/6/2014 2/7/2014
Upstream - Total - µg/L
aluminum arsenic iron copper
0
10
20
30
40
50
2/3/2014 2/4/2014 2/5/2014 2/6/2014 2/7/2014
Downstream - Total - µg/L
aluminum arsenic iron copper
Applicable Standard:
Arsenic – 10 µg/L (human health)
Copper – 7 µg/L (aquatic health)
• March 6, 2014: Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway– “take immediate action to eliminate sources of
contamination that cause a concentration of a substance in excess of groundwater quality standards”
• EPA pre-publication CCR Rule:– “EPA believes that solid waste activities
should not be allowed to contaminate underground drinking water sources to exceed established drinking water standards”
Are we encouraging reuse?
Source: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/images/waste_hierarchy_green_400pxw.png
• CAMA Legislative Timelines• EPA CCR Timelines• Citizen Suits
Dr. John L. Daniels, P.E.Professor and Chair
Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUNC Charlotte
Energy Production and Infrastructure Center - Room 3250 8700 Phillips Road | Charlotte, NC 28223
Phone: 704-687-1219 | Fax: 704-687-0957 [email protected] | http://coefs.uncc.edu/jodaniel/
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