CRIMES AGAINST NATURE
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Duke Energy facilities cited with 7 notices of violation
North Carolina regulators have cited Duke Energy power plants with 7 notices of violation for lacking the mandatory storm water permits following a massive spill at the retired Dan River Steam Station in Eden last month.
Coal ash dumps from the Eden plant coated about 112km (70 miles) of Dan River in toxic sludge.
State issues notices of violation for five more Duke Energy facilities
As part of its ongoing probe into Duke Energy’s coal ash ponds, state regulators late Friday issued notices of violation for five other Duke Energy power plants for failure to obtain a federally mandated National Pollution Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, stormwater permit.
These notices of violation are in addition to two issued for violations at the Dan River power plant in Eden where a failed 48-inch stormwater pipe caused a massive spill of coal ash into the Dan River. Duke Energy has 30 days to respond to the notices for the stormwater violations for all six facilities cited. Duke Energy has 15 days to respond to the notice related to the wastewater violations at the Dan River facility.
“Our agency is determined to make sure that all of these facilities are in compliance with state and federal law,” said John Skvarla, secretary of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. “We’re doing everything in our power to prevent environmental disasters like what we’ve seen at the Dan River. We are committed to protecting public health and the natural resources of our state.”
The additional facilities that received notices of violation are the Belews Creek Steam Station in Rockingham County, Cliffside Steam Station in Rutherford County, Lee Steam Electric Plant in Wayne County, Roxboro Steam Electric Power Plant in Person County, and Sutton Steam Electric Plant in New Hanover County, said the NC State Department of Environment and Natural Resource.
Chronology of Disaster
The first [known] spill at Dan River Steam Station, a Duke Energy retired power plant in Eden, NC, occurred on February 2, 2014, when another broken stormwater pipe located under a 27-acre ash pond released about 27 million gallons of ash basin water, according to the company.
Duke Energy discovered the coal ash spill Feb. 2 after a 48-inch stormwater pipe beneath a coal ash pond at the Dan River power plant ruptured. Before it could be stopped, the spill sent between 24 million and 27 million gallons of wastewater and as much as 39,000 tons of coal combustion residuals from the ash pond to the Dan River.
Coal combustion residuals from the spill have since been identified as far as 70 miles downstream coating the river in varying depths, officials said.
Close up of excavation and pipe work inside the Dan River ash basin. Source: Duke Energy
Earlier this month FIRE-EARTH commented:
Other than for obvious reasons, there were no immediate comments from Duke Energy as to why the ash pond was built over a stormwater pipe and so close to Dan River, nor any reason why the largest electricity provider in the U.S. failed to remove the toxic ash nearly two years after the plant was retired.
Source: Duke Energy
Aerial view of the retired Dan River Steam Station and ash basins in North Carolina. Source: Duke Energy [This photo taken on February 5, 2014 shows the primary basin almost completely drained into Dan River.]
FIRE-EARTH Forecast
On January 12, 2014 FIRE-EARTH said [but was censored by Google, WordPress and others]
If Anything Can Explode, Leak, Contaminate…[IT WILL]
Estimated 100,000 HAZMAT storage sites across the U.S. can potentially explode, leak, contaminate the environment—FIRE-EARTH
United States is dotted with an estimated 100,000 HAZMAT storage sites containing one or more of deadly substances including radioactive, biohazardous, toxic, explosive, flammable, asphyxiating, corrosive, oxidizing, pathogenic, or allergenic materials, as well as herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers that don’t fall into those categories.
Some of the substances (hazchems), which include more than 200 types of dioxins, are so lethal that even a small leak into the water supply could kill or permanently harm millions of people, before they are detected.
In February, DUKE-ENERGY blocked its website to FIRE-EARTH moderators in several locations.
When tried to access their website using a different system we received the following WARNING:
Guess who gave away our ISPs to Duke Energy!
Related Links
- Toxins Leak into North Carolina River [Again] February 19, 2014
- Up to 27 Million Gallons of Coal Ash Spill into Dan River, NC February 7, 201
- If Anything Can Explode, Leak, Contaminate… January 12, 2014
- UPDATE: Hundreds are Sick after West Virgina Water Pollution January 11, 2014
- 737 People Reported Sickness after West Virgina Water Pollution January 11, 2014
- UPDATED: State of Emergency Declared in West Virginia after Chemical Spill January 10, 2014
- State of Emergency Declared in West Virginia due to Chemical Spill January 10, 2014
- State of Emergency Declared in West Virginia after Chemical Spill January 10, 2014
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