River swirls with gray muck near flooded coal ash dump

WILMINGTON, N.C. » Gray muck is flowing into the Cape Fear River from the site of a dam breach at a Wilmington power plant where an old coal ash dump had been covered over by Florence’s floodwaters.

Forecasters predicted the water will continue to rise through the weekend at the L.V. Sutton Power Station. Duke Energy spokeswoman Paige Sheehan said the utility doesn’t believe the breach poses a significant threat of increased flooding to nearby communities.

Sheehan said the company can’t rule out that ash might be escaping the flooded dump and flowing through the lake into the river.

Inspectors with the state Department of Environmental Quality travelled to the plant by boat on Sunday to collect water quality samples. Environmental Secretary Mike Regan said aerial video of the site show “potential coal ash” flowing into the river.

“When the environment is conducive, we will put people on the ground to verify the amount of potential coal ash that could have left and entered those flood waters,” Regan said.

Floodwaters breached several points early Friday in the earthen dam at Sutton Lake, the plant’s 1,100acre reservoir. Lake water then flooded one of three large coal ash dumps lining the lakeshore.

The ash left over when coal is burned to generate electricity contains mercury, lead, arsenic and other toxic heavy metals. Duke said Friday the plant’s inundated basin contains about 400,000 cubic yards of ash.

The area received more than 30 inches (75 centimeters) of rain from former Hurricane Florence, with the Cape Fear River still rising and expected to crest Sunday and remain at flood stage through early next week.

Gray material the company characterized as “coal combustion byproducts” could be seen floating in the lake and river.

Earthjustice, an environmental advocacy group with a boat in the river, provided The Associated Press with images Friday showing wide gray slicks in the water. A team member plucked a turtle from the muck and rinsed it off.

“Any big spill like this raises concerns about the impacts on the estuary ecosystem in the lower Cape Fear River,” said Pete Harrison, a staff attorney with Earthjustice on the boat. “This is Duke’s third coal ash spill in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, and it looks like it’s the biggest yet.”

Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator Trey Glenn said Friday his staff was monitoring the situation at Sutton from the state Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of the Sutton plant. He said dozens of EPA staff were scattered throughout the region impacted by Florence, checking on toxic waste sites and oil storage facilities.

PETER HARRISON — EARTHJUSTICE VIA AP A turtle is plucked from gray muck along the Cape Fear River near the L.V. Sutton Plant near Wilmington, N.C. Floodwaters breached a dam at the electricity generating plant on Friday and overtopped a coal ash dump, potentially spilling toxic materials into the river.