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  •  » NHBA note regarding Possum Point PP coal ash discharging....

#1 Jan-17-16 4:13PM

Ernie
Administrator
From: Ashburn VA
Registered: Feb-03-06
Posts: 15560

NHBA note regarding Possum Point PP coal ash discharging....

This special issue of the newsletter is being published due to a recent development that affects all anglers on the Potomac and James Rivers. On Thursday evening, January 14th, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality issued a permit to Virginia Power Company, authorizing them to discharge millions of gallons of toxic waste into the waters of Quantico Creek. This water is from five ponds that have been used to collect ash generated by the burning of coal to produce electricity at the Possum Point Power Plant over the years. This ash contains a variety of heavy metals that are deemed toxic by the EPA, as well as most fisheries biologists and organizations. The Maryland DNR, VDGIF, Potomac River Fisheries Commission, EPA and the Potomac Riverkeeper, along with over 100 citizens presented their objection to such a permit being issued without proper treatment of the discharge water, at the public hearing in December. With no regard whatsoever, the Virginia DEQ issued the permit anyway.

This puts all aquatic animals living in Quantico Creek and the Potomac River within three miles, both upstream and downstream of the mouth of the Creek in dire jeopardy. The levels of arsenic and selenium that are authorized by the permit will kill all aquatic life within 48 hours, according to state Fisheries Biologists.

The Potomac Riverkeeper and Prince William County have vowed to file suit to force a delay in the implementation of the proposed discharge, but it will take time and Virginia Power is sure to take advantage of the delay to get rid of as much of the estimated BILLION GALLONS of coal ash water as possible before the courts can act.
Senator Scott Surovell of Mount Vernon District has introduced a bill, Senate Bill #537, that would force all such holding ponds to be closed and “disposal of all such by-products in a permitted, synthetically lined landfill that meets or exceeds the federal Criteria for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills”.

In order to protect our fishery, we, as users need to get involved with this effort and notify our state senators that we favor the passage of Senate Bill #537.  All members are requested to go to:  http://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov and enter your address. Press enter and your current legislators will appear on the bottom. Click the “email” on your state senator’s box and send the following:  Please support SB 537 Coal combustion by-product impoundments.


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#2 Jan-17-16 5:03PM

Osprey
Patagonian Toothfish
From: Forestville, MD
Registered: Nov-16-07
Posts: 1234
Website

Re: NHBA note regarding Possum Point PP coal ash discharging....

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality figures it'll be Maryland's problem in just a few miles. This has to be stopped somehow.


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#3 Jan-28-16 5:47PM

Ernie
Administrator
From: Ashburn VA
Registered: Feb-03-06
Posts: 15560

Re: NHBA note regarding Possum Point PP coal ash discharging....

This was just reported on another website....will check for authenticity.

"The VA DEQ just voted 5-1 to allow Dominion to dump 200 MILLION GALLONS of coal/fly ash wastewater into in the Potomac River in the middle of one of the most critical Striped Bass spawning grounds on the East Coast! Dumping will begin ASAP!"

This cannot be good!


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#4 Jan-29-16 5:10PM

drxfish
Patagonian Toothfish
From: Sterling
Registered: Jan-04-14
Posts: 2973

Re: NHBA note regarding Possum Point PP coal ash discharging....

WTF?  How much did Dominion pay them?  Ridiculous!


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#5 Jan-31-16 8:55AM

Ernie
Administrator
From: Ashburn VA
Registered: Feb-03-06
Posts: 15560

Re: NHBA note regarding Possum Point PP coal ash discharging....

CCA VIRGINIA requests that you contact your Senators in the Virginia General Assembly and request support for SB 537

SB 537 Coal combustion by-product impoundments; closure requirements.

Introduced by: Scott A. Surovell | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Coal combustion by-product impoundments; closure requirements. Directs the Department of Environmental Quality to require the closure of surface impoundments of coal combustion by-products, commonly called coal ash ponds, by July 1, 2020. The bill applies to impoundments that managed such by-products from the generation of electricity by an electric utility or independent power producer prior to December 4, 2015, including those impoundments that, prior to December 4, 2015, have been closed by capping in place or have received Department approval for closure by capping in place. The bill requires that the coal combustion by-products be removed for disposal in a permitted landfill meeting federal criteria, and that the impoundment site be reclaimed in a manner consistent with federal mine reclamation standards, for closure to be deemed complete. The bill allows an investor-owned public electric utility to recover the costs of closure from customers.
FULL TEXT

01/13/16  Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/16 16100920D  pdf | impact statement
HISTORY

01/13/16  Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/16 16100920D
01/13/16  Senate: Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

URGENT!!! Toxic Waste Discharge Permit Issued......                           
On Thursday evening, January 14th, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality issued a permit to Virginia Power Company, authorizing them to discharge millions of gallons of toxic waste into the waters of Quantico Creek. This water is from five ponds that have been used to collect ash generated by the burning of coal to produce electricity at the Possum Point Power Plant over the years. This ash contains a variety of heavy metals that are deemed toxic by the EPA, as well as most fisheries biologists and organizations. The Maryland DNR, VDGIF, Potomac River Fisheries Commission, EPA and the Potomac Riverkeeper, along with over 100 citizens presented their objection to such a permit being issued without proper treatment of the discharge water, at the public hearing in December. With no regard whatsoever, the Virginia DEQ issued the permit anyway. This puts all aquatic animals living in Quantico Creek and the Potomac River within three miles, both upstream and downstream of the mouth of the Creek in dire jeopardy. The levels of arsenic and selenium that are authorized by the permit will kill all aquatic life within 48 hours, according to state Fisheries Biologists.

The Potomac Riverkeeper and Prince William County have vowed to file suit to force a delay in the implementation of the proposed discharge, but it will take time and Virginia Power is sure to take advantage of the delay to get rid of as much of the estimated BILLION GALLONS of coal ash water as possible before the courts can act.

Senator Scott Surovell of Mount Vernon District has introduced a bill, Senate Bill #537, that would force all such holding ponds to be closed and “disposal of all such by-products in a permitted, synthetically lined landfill that meets or exceeds the federal Criteria for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills”.

In order to protect our fishery, we, as users need to get involved with this effort and notify our state senators that we favor the passage of Senate Bill #537. All members are requested to go to: http://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov and enter your address. Press enter and your current legislators will appear on the bottom. Click the “email” on your state senator’s box and send the following: Please support SB 537 Coal combustion by-product impoundments.


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#6 Jan-31-16 1:47PM

drxfish
Patagonian Toothfish
From: Sterling
Registered: Jan-04-14
Posts: 2973

Re: NHBA note regarding Possum Point PP coal ash discharging....

Did mine last week.  We need to try and help!


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#7 Feb-02-16 7:53AM

Ernie
Administrator
From: Ashburn VA
Registered: Feb-03-06
Posts: 15560

Re: NHBA note regarding Possum Point PP coal ash discharging....

Dominion Power’s controversial plan to treat and flush millions of gallons of coal ash water from the Possum Point power plant into Quantico Creek is heading to court.

The Southern Environmental Law Center announced Monday it will appeal a permit modification that allows Dominion to continue cleaning up five coal ash ponds at the Dumfries-area power plant by treating and releasing an estimated 200 million gallons of coal-ash contaminated water into the creek.

The center and its client, the Potomac Riverkeeper Network, say the permit sets too lax limits and fails to require Dominion to use water-treatment technologies to more thoroughly remove toxins from the water.

“The permit allows Dominion to pollute Quantico Creek and Potomac River with arsenic, a cancer-causing chemical, at levels up to three times higher the state’s own safety threshold to protect aquatic life and 30 times higher than comparable water permits in neighboring North Carolina,” the center said in a statement announcing the appeal Monday.

Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks has been a vocal critic of the Dominion permit modification, which was approved by the Virginia State Water Control Board last month.

He said his organization has no choice but to appeal “this very bad decision” on behalf of those who live near or rely on the Quantico Creek and Potomac River for boating, fishing and recreation.

“The Commonwealth of Virginia has given Dominion a free pass to dump hundreds of millions of contaminated wastewater from its coal ash ponds and threaten the health of our nation’s river and those who rely upon it,” Naujoks said.

The announcement comes just a week before the Prince William County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to discuss taking its own legal action against Dominion’s plans, possibly by filing an injunction to keep the cleanup from progressing.

The county board is scheduled to discuss Dominion’s coal-ash permit next Tuesday, Feb. 9.

The Southern Environmental Law Center appeal pits the Potomac Riverkeepers against Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and his administration.

Attorney General Mark Herring (D) will have to defend the permit in court. Herring’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon.

In response to the lawsuit, Dominion spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson issued a statement saying the permit is “appropriate, properly issued and consistent with federal and state regulations.”

“As part of the process to close coal ash ponds, water will be filtered, treated, monitored and discharged in a controlled manner into nearby waterways,” the statement said. “This process meets the very stringent limits imposed by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and ensures the safety and health of the public and aquatic life.”

Coal ash is the byproduct of burning coal, which Dominion did at the Possum Point plant from its construction in 1948 to 2003, when it switched to burning natural gas.

As was routine at other coal-burning power plants across the nation, Dominion stored its coal ash in holding ponds that covered with toxic ash with water with the intent of keeping it from contaminating nearby properties or waterways.

But that storage method proved risky in recent years when coal ash ponds in Tennessee and North Carolina gave way to the water’s pressure, resulting in massive coal ash spills into adjacent rivers.

In the wake of those events, utilities have been ordered to clean up their ponds according to standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

SELC attorney Greg Buppert noted Dominion’s permit modification was approved about two years after the Duke Energy spill that polluted the Dan River.

“When Duke Energy illegally polluted the Dan River in North Carolina and Virginia with over 25 million gallons of contaminated coal ash slurry, it faced criminal charges and millions in fines,” Buppert said. “Two years after that catastrophe Dominion wants to intentionally dump six times the amount of coal ash wastewater into the Potomac River, and our state environmental agency gave it a license to do so.”

Dominion has already come under fire from environmentalists and some area residents for an unpermitted “toe-drain” at the bottom of one of the Possum Point ponds, which DEQ officials acknowledged in December has been likely leaking toxic coal ash water into Quantico Creek for years.

DEQ declined to take action against Dominion in connection with the toe drain, but included new testing requirements for the toe-drain discharge as part of the permit modification.

DEQ officials did not immediately return calls for comment Monday.

Last year, Dominion announced it would clean up its ponds at Possum Point by consolidating four coal ash ponds into a fifth pond, the only one with a partial clay liner.

The water must be flushed from the ponds in order for Dominion to cap them “in place” with a synthetic layer and about two feet of dirt. Dominion has similar plans for four other power plants around the state.


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#8 Feb-02-16 3:34PM

drxfish
Patagonian Toothfish
From: Sterling
Registered: Jan-04-14
Posts: 2973

Re: NHBA note regarding Possum Point PP coal ash discharging....

Sounds nasty.  Glad they got the hearing.


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