Dominion needs to clean coal ash sites

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

In Dominon executive Pamela Faggert’s Op/Ed column, “Safe and careful ash disposal,” she claimed the utility has the environment’s best interest in mind as it works to dispose of coal ash from 11 storage ponds across the state.

Does clandestinely draining an entire lagoon full of untreated coal ash wastewater into a major Chesapeake Bay tributary qualify as proper disposal? In February, local Northern Virginia media outlets reported that Dominion had drained 52.5 million gallons of untreated coal ash water from one of its ponds at the Prince William County site.

The incident occurred last spring, well before the recent controversy surrounding the discharge permits awarded to Dominion from the state Department of Environmental Quality, which require the utility to first treat its toxic waste before discharging it into local waterways.

Once the ponds are drained, Dominion plans to bury the remaining coal ash sludge in place in unlined pits. This, of course, is a great plan for Dominion’s bottom line. It is an irresponsible plan for the environment, though. Testing at Dominion coal ash sites has already shown elevated levels of heavy metals in groundwater. Leaving coal ash waste in place will only exacerbate this risk in the long term.

Dominion created this mess and it should clean the mess up the right way. This means storing solid coal ash waste in lined, licensed landfills — which can be done onsite and cost-effectively — and remediating these sites under the same criteria that apply to defunct coal mines.

Legislation requiring just that might have failed this year, but it’s not going away. The environmental benefits are just too clear.

If Dominion wants to actually put its corporate talking points into action, it should stop fighting the most responsible course of action when it comes to coal ash disposal.

Carey Whitehead.

Fredericksburg.