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Agency Approves Utility Application for its Coal Ash Pond
Phoenix, Arizona — EPA today announced that it approved an application from Salt River Project (SRP) for its coal ash pond at the Coronado Generating Station in Apache County. SRP’s application is supposed to demonstrate that the unlined coal ash pond doesn’t pollute groundwater or the environment. But the Coronado coal ash pond has violated EPA standards that set minimum criteria for safe coal ash disposal and monitoring. Today, EPA’s decision enables the utility to continue dumping its toxic waste into the unlined pond next to the Coronado plant while SRP prepares further documentation for EPA.
Unlined, toxic coal ash ponds are known to leak and pollute groundwater, as well as rivers and streams, releasing toxic and radioactive substances into the water, rendering it unsafe for human consumption, and threatening the health of surrounding communities. Coal ash contains a toxic brew of mercury, cadmium, chromium, and arsenic, which can cause cancer, neurological damage, and other serious illnesses.
