Waterkeeper Alliance Investigates Coal Pollution Spill at Cliffside Power Plant

August 4, 2016

Cleveland County, NC — Waterkeeper Alliance and Broad River Alliance, a Waterkeeper Alliance and MountainTrue Affiliate, responded yesterday to a report of a water pollution spill at Duke Energy’s Cliffside Steam Station on the Broad River, 50 miles west of Charlotte, with a three-hour investigation. The reported spill appears to have been caused by heavy rainfall earlier this week, which overwhelmed stormwater retention structures and washed coal-related pollutants into the Broad River.

Photos are available here.

Pete Harrison, staff attorney at Waterkeeper Alliance, and David Caldwell, Broad River Alliance Coordinator, have released the following statement:

“We got on the river for three hours yesterday to investigate the reported pollution spill at Cliffside facility. In addition to countless leaks along the riverbank coming from unlined coal ash dumps, we observed a suspicious discharge to the river from a stream that flows between a leaking, inactive coal ash dump and the unburned coal pile next to the power plant. The discharge contained cloudy, gray water with a thick layer of caramel-colored material floating on top of it.

We are not aware of any efforts by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) or Duke Energy to evaluate the potential water quality impacts of the spill to the Broad River. Once again, Duke’s irresponsible management and DEQ’s inadequate oversight have led to more water pollution being dumped from a coal-fired power plant into a river that provides thousands of North and South Carolinians with drinking water.

Our preliminary analysis of water samples collected from the Broad River indicate the presence of pollutants associated with coal and coal ash, including boron. Waterkeeper Alliance has sent the samples to a certified lab and will report the results as more information becomes available.

This spill is the latest in a long history of uncontrolled releases of coal-related water pollution at the Cliffside plant. In 2005, heavy rains caused five million gallons of coal ash waste to spill into a tributary stream at the plant, and every single day millions of gallons of contaminants illegally leak into the Broad River from unlined coal ash ponds at the site. Duke Energy must remove all the coal ash from unlined ponds at Cliffside and store it in lined landfills away from the river.

The lack of detail in Duke Energy’s press releases raises many serious questions that need answers, including:

• When did Duke become aware of the spill?
• When was DEQ notified? Were all public notification requirements met?
• Did the discharge violate Duke Energy’s stormwater discharge permit?
• How much rainfall was recorded at the Rogers Energy Complex?
• How many water samples did Duke Energy collect from the Broad River to evaluate impacts? What constituents were tested in any water samples collected from the Broad River?
• Did DEQ collect any water samples from the Broad River to evaluate impacts of the spill?
• Did Duke Energy report the spill to downstream drinking water suppliers?
• Did Duke Energy report the spill to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control?
• Will DEQ issue a notice of violation and/or fine Duke Energy for this spill?
• What measures has Duke Energy taken to prevent this issue from happening again?

Weather permitting, today Catawba Riverkeeper, Sam Perkins, is conducting an aerial patrol of the site and its impacts to the Broad River. We will provide further information as it becomes available so that the public and media remain informed.”