One Utility’s Maintenance Program
One leading utility — Southern Company — has established management practices related to coal ash surface impoundments that are working effectively. Southern Company operates coal-fired power plants in four states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi.
Southern Company’s coal combustion product (CCP) management practices are in compliance with each state’s unique regulatory scheme, according to a written statement released on February 2 to POWER by Steve Higginbottom, a member of Southern Company’s media relations department. The company’s CCPs are collected as part of the processes to remove pollutants from air emissions so that power plants comply with air quality regulations.
"Southern Company currently inspects the ash surface impoundments at our coal-fired power plants at least every other year by dam safety engineers, and plant personnel conduct inspections at least every other week," he said. "Southern Company has a routine inspection program in place to ensure that our containment structures are secure. In light of recent events, Southern Company is reviewing our inspection programs to identify any improvements or modifications that might be appropriate."
"Southern Company realizes the seriousness of an ash surface impoundment failure and has a robust program in place to ensure the integrity of our containment systems," Higginbottom stated. "In addition to this program, Southern Company is taking action to confirm the integrity of our surface impoundments and to evaluate our CCP management practices.
"Southern Company currently owns and operates 22 plants with active surface impoundments used to store fly ash and bottom ash at our coal-fired power plants," said Higginbottom.
In 2000, the EPA concluded, after nearly 20 years of study, that coal ash does not warrant hazardous waste regulation under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and that states should continue to be the primary environmental regulators for coal ash management, he pointed out.
CCPs contain trace amounts of metals — such as arsenic, mercury, and lead — that occur naturally in the coal that Southern Company burns to produce electricity, but their concentrations in the ash are not comparable to levels in substances that are required to be regulated as hazardous.
"The states in which we operate have the authority to impose additional restrictions if necessary to protect human health or the environment," Higginbottom said. "Southern Company works closely with each of its state regulatory agencies to ensure that we meet the requirements for environmental protection that the agencies establish. In situations where site specific issues have been a concern, state regulatory agencies assess the site to determine what, if any, additional actions or requirements are needed."
Southern Company will continue to comply with all existing and future state and federal regulatory requirements and is continually seeking to increase beneficial use of CCP that it generates, he emphasized.
Coal ash surface impoundments have successfully been in operation at many of his company’s coal-fired plants for decades, Higginbottom noted. Ash surface impoundments provide a controlled means for containing the solid remains of coal burned to produce electricity, and they represent standard practice across the coal-fired power plant industry. Any discharges from an ash surface impoundment are subject to wastewater permit limits under the Clean Water Act’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, including pollutant limits and monitoring and reporting requirements, which are submitted to the appropriate regulatory agency, typically monthly.
"Across the country, the by-products of coal combustion are used in beneficial ways instead of being stored," he said. "Southern Company has an active program to implement this approach. Currently, 30% to 35% of the coal combustion byproducts from Southern Company coal plants are used in beneficial ways (used in concrete, road building, etc.)."
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