Duke Energy’s Sutton Plant is a step closer to cleanup, with a groundwater assessment work plan submitted to the N.C. Division of Water Resources for approval and coal ash excavation plans being developed for a mid-November deadline.
Division of Water Resources staff is vetting groundwater assessment plans for all 14 Duke sites, submitted at the end of September. If any plan is deemed insufficient, Duke will be asked to revise and resubmit the plan. Once approved, Duke has 10 days to begin implementing the plan and 180 days to submit a report outlining water quality issues and potential threats to human health and safety.
Erin Culbert, Duke Energy spokesperson, said implementation of the work plans will involve a lot of field activity, including soil tests and installation of new monitoring wells, plus conceptual modeling to predict the movement of groundwater.
Some of that work has already begun at the Sutton site, Culbert said, to prevent a known plume of pollutants in the water from heading toward drinking water supplies, particularly the Flemington community less than one mile from the plant.
Duke partnered with Cape Fear Public Utility Authority in 2013 to run a new water line to the Flemington community, and with the Division of Water Resources to install new monitoring wells to track movement of the plume.
Culbert stressed that nearby drinking water sources continue to meet all state and federal standards.
Nick Torrey, Southern Environmental Law Center staff attorney, hopes new, more thorough action will result from the groundwater assessment work plans for Sutton.
“This site has been studied to death for about 10 years, and they’ve produced these big reports about the groundwater pollution at Sutton,” Torrey said during an Oct. 7 phone interview. “Much of the work they say they’re going to do in this assessment work plan has already been done. It would be a real shame if Duke used more study as an attempt to try to delay what it really needs to do, which is move that ash out of there.”
Torrey is involved in ongoing state and federal lawsuits filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center against Duke Energy for violations of the Clean Water Act. Torrey said moving the pollutant — coal ash — away from water sources is the bottom line when it comes to protecting nearby water sources.
“That’s the top priority. That’s the source of pollution. You can’t do anything to fix the groundwater problems until you get rid of the ash that’s polluting on an ongoing basis,” Torrey said.
Culbert agreed that groundwater quality concerns inform the company’s plans to manage coal ash stored at all 14 faculties.
“Groundwater is a key element for how the company is planning to approach closure decisions. At the Sutton site, it’s going to be a little different because we already know the outcome. We already know that the site will be excavated and those ash basins will be closed … and going to a lined solution,” Culbert said during an Oct. 7 phone interview.
Excavation plans for ash basins at four retired coal-powered plants, including the Sutton site, are due to the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources by Nov. 15. Ash removal will begin once the plans are approved and permits are granted.
Duke announced a partnership with the University of North Carolina Charlotte to form the National Ash Management Advisory Board Oct. 2. Culbert characterized the panel as containing experts from a broad, diverse range of relevant disciplines. The panel’s feedback will guide implementation of Duke’s goal to apply site-specific, scientifically sound solutions for the remaining 10 sites.
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