Toxins Found Near Almost All Industry-Tracked Coal Ash Ponds
- Toxic slurry from coal power plants can seep underground
- New industry data show troubling contamination, activists say
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Environmental watchdogs say the power industry’s own data show widespread groundwater contamination near sites storing coal ash, a toxic byproduct of burning coal to generate electricity.
Unsafe levels of arsenic, lithium and other pollutants were found in groundwater monitoring wells near coal ash storage sites used by 91 percent of the 265 coal power plants reporting the information, according to an assessment by the Environmental Integrity Project, Earthjustice and other environmental groups being released Monday.