Congratulations and thanks to the Catawba Riverkeeper!
The Catawba Riverkeeper entered into a settlement of a lawsuit in which SCE&G agreed to close its ash pond, clean up the source of the contamination, and switch to dry ash handling in the future. This agreement to stop the discharge of coal ash into ponds at a major coal-fired power plant is precedent setting and Catawba Riverkeeper hopes that it will lead to the closure of the remaining four active coal ash ponds operated by Duke Energy on the Catawba River. Additional information about the settlement is available on the CRF website.
This settlment resolves a lawsuit filed in January 2012 by Catawba Riverkeeper against SCE&G alleging that the ash pond at the Wateree Steam Station near Eastover, South Carolina was illegally contaminating the groundwater and Wateree River. In May, the United States District Court issued a ruling in favor of CRF, which led to settlement negotiations.
To read more about this see also:
SCE&G to clean up toxic ash near plant
Aug. 21–Over the next eight years, SCE&G will dig up and remove more than 2 million tons of coal sludge that has contaminated groundwater in lower Richland County and leaked arsenic into the Wateree River near Congaree National Park.
Environmental groups and the utility have struck an accord that requires SCE&G to clean out all of the coal ash now resting in waste ponds adjacent to the company’s 42-year-old Wateree power station, a coal-burning plant with a legacy of air and water pollution.
