It was shocking and disturbing to learn at a Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control public hearing that 26 years after Delmarva Power and Light ceased dumping coal ash from the Indian River Power Plant onto Burton Island, 26 of 26 offshore sediment samples were discovered to contain seven heavy metal pollutants identified as "Constituents of Potential Concern for either human or ecological receptors."
These metals include aluminum, arsenic, barium, cobalt, copper, mercury and nickel. Delaware Toxic Release Inventory Reports identify compounds of arsenic, cobalt and nickel as carcinogens.
An ecological risk assessment published by Shaw Environmental Inc. in March 2008 states, "There is a potential for adverse affects to benthic invertebrates in the sediment along the shoreline of Burton Island due to arsenic and barium. The only potentially exposed population is recreational fishermen and their families ... through the consumption of caught fish and/or shellfish."
A DNREC environmental scientist was asked at a Center for the Inland Bays meeting in September if he would eat clams taken from the Burton Island area. He said, "no."
Environmental groups including the Sierra Club, Delaware Audubon, Green Delaware, Citizens for Clean Power, Citizens Coalition, Citizens for a Better Sussex and the Citizens Advisory Committee of the CIB have opposed the recent issuance of the new NRG Energy (Phase II) landfill permit, and the inadequate voluntary NRG remediation action plan for Burton Island, which consists of leaving the contaminated offshore sediment in place and adding riprap along the shoreline.
Although the riprap may help to inhibit future erosion of shoreline embankments, the geo-textile synthetic fabric underlay base is permeable and therefore will not prevent continued long-term leaching of the landfill's numerous toxic pollutants into bay waters.
DNREC Secretary John Hughes has said some of the NRG coal-ash landfill concerns are unfounded and that some of the criticisms are based on misinformation.
Why doesn't DNREC require NRG to haul ash from Burton Island out of the Inland Bays' watershed and deny a permit for the creation of yet another coal-ash landfill? Could political pressure and NRG profits possibly be factors in these decisions? Surely the same railroad hoppers that deliver 64 carloads of coal per day could be used to haul away the annual production of approximately 100,000 cubic yards of hazardous ash that contains 770,000 pounds of toxic heavy metal pollutants.
Until cleaner energy sources enable shut down of the coal-burning Indian River Power Plant -- the state's largest polluter -- DNREC must do more to eliminate and clean-up its continuous discharges of thousands of pounds of harmful chemicals to our air, water and land.
Steve Callanen
Sierra Club, Southern Delaware Group
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
4 comments:
Having lived in the area of the IR power plant for 20+ years, there is nothing that would surprise me about the past, present, and future effects of the way things were done. Perhaps we didn't know better then, but the Delmarva Power people knew. They began, quietly, years ago, to buy up surrounding properties, thereby removing (so they hoped) potential lawsuits brought by people who've developed lung diseases and other environmentally impacted health conditions.
The long term health picture for those poor people who've lived in the general area isn't very rosy.
Delmarva Power knew, NRG knows, DNREC and The Delaware Division of "Public Health" knew then and know now.... How did they/can they look themselves in the mirror and justify poisoning people?
Several years ago, after yet another DNREC scandal, Sen. Dave McBride--chair of the Environment committee of the Delaware Senate--held hearings. He excluded independent voices for the most part, and set up a panel containing reps of the brownnoser Delaware enviros to listen to citizens complain and officials make excuses. (McBride threw me out of the room after a while...).
I recall a lady, dying of cancer from living around the Indian River Power Plant--or so she felt--asking that something be done.
Nick DiPasquale, then head of DNREC, now associated with the Delaware Audubon Society, and possibly hoping to get his DNREC job back via Jack Markell, went on at great, offensive length, about how nothing could be done....
Now, a little actually IS being done, but not nearly enough and too late.
The only answer is to phase out coal-burning.
Alan Muller
Green Delaware
actually the biggest polluter in Delaware is its own citizens with the cars that they drive. That is a proven fact! Plus why fuss wind power is coming!
Yes, wind power is coming, but it will never replace a fueled power plant; what if the wind isn't blowing? Plus, the IR plant is used to replace/supliment power to other regions when other power plants are shut down.
The IR plant is also burning coal that is not as clean as the coal from twenty years ago. So more pollution.
The pollution could get worse. The IR plant has four units, but they rarely all run (if ever). Often, there is only one running. But in the future, who knows?
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