As you know, the EPA came to town last month for a hearing on coal ash — which is a big deal for Charlotte since we've got four coal ash ponds near our city and two unlined, high-hazard ponds discharging directly into our main drinking water reservoir, Mountain Island Lake.
What you may not know is the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources is hosting a second hearing next week in Mooresville. This hearing is about the permits that allow Duke Energy to drain water from the coal ash ponds into three Catawba River lakes— Norman, Mountain Island and Wylie.
These discharge permits are only issued every five years, and the permits at the Riverbend coal plant (the one draining into our drinking water) expired on Feb. 28.
Something that has many concerned: The current draft of the permit for that plant doesn't limit the amount of some substances, specifically arsenic, that can enter our water, despite pleas from local governments and environmentalists.
This is where you come in. The DENR hearing is your chance to speak up about what you think the permits should regulate. Remember: According to North Carolina law, we own the water — not the government or any corporation.
Find out how to participate after the jump.
David Merryman, our Catawba Riverkeeper, along with other local environmental groups, issued a press release (read it here) about the hearings. In it, Merryman says, “Unlike any proposed federal regulations from the EPA, this state permitting decision can produce change on a local level that will protect our drinking water from coal ash wastes and thermally polluted water immediately.”
If you'd like to attend, here's what you need to know:
Learn more about the coal ash issue and Riverbend's permits here:
In related news:
Fatal Toxic Sludge Flood Wreaks Havoc in Hungary — AOL news
Speaking of the toxic sludge flood in Hungary, here's video from the first one. Eight people were killed at at least 120 were injured. (A second spill is expected.) By the way — the coal ash ponds on Mountain Island Lake? One is 41 acres in size and the other is 28 acres. The pond that caused this disaster in Hungary? It is 24 acres.
And, here are scenes from the 2008 coal ash pond collapse in Tennessee. The spill there included more than a billion gallons of coal ash. The one in Hungary? 184 million gallons.
Rhiannon "Rhi" Bowman is an independent journalist who contributes snarky commentary on Creative Loafing's CLog blog four days a week in addition to writing for several other local media organizations. Additionally, she's on the steering committee for the Greater Charlotte Society of Professional Journalists. To learn more, click the links or follow Rhi on Twitter.