Prince William residents want Board of Supervisors to intervene in Dominion coal ash plan

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. — Prince William residents want their Board of Supervisors to intervene in a plan to “cap-in-place” four million tons of coal ash along the Potomac River.

A survey commissioned by the Potomac Riverkeeper Network. an environmental group arguing for the ordered removal of the coal ash, found that a majority of respondents said yes when asked “Should Prince William County Board Of Supervisors Require Dominion To Come Up With Alternative Solutions Other Than Simply Capping It In Place Before Dominion Receives Final Approval For A Solid Waste Permit To Store This Coal Ash?”

From the survey results:

“Women (86%) more than Men (73%) want the Board of Supervisors in Prince William County to intervene. However, 73 percent is no slouch of a result, and it is due mainly to the 77 percent of Male Independents who say “yes.” Among the 61 percent who oppose Dominion’s “cap in place” plan, 93 percent of them want the Board of Supervisors to have a voice in the decided outcome of the permit granting procedure.”

Dominion Virginia Power wants to leave the coal ash in place in Pond D at the Possum Point Power Station near Potomac Shores along the Potomac River. A liner at the bottom of the pond and a new cap that would be placed atop the pond would keep the toxic ash water from leaking out, according to Dominion.

“We are closing this now because both federal and state requirements mandate that the ponds be closed. The rules were put in place because experience elsewhere has shown that if water is kept in ponds, the structures can be a source of spills if not properly maintained,” according to a statement from Dominion.

The final cover for the pond will have a polyurethane polyethylene cap that is supposed to prevent any moisture from coming into contact with the coal ash. Up to 24 inches of soil will be placed on top of the cap, according to Dominion.

Residents who spoke at a recent Department of Conservation and Recreation Environmental Quality (DEQ) say they fear the liner at the bottom of the pond will leak, contaminating groundwater. Many who spoke said drinking water well samples on taken on their properties show contaminants. Dominion in December agreed to pay to connect 35 homeowners on Possum Point Road to public water after elevated levels coal ash toxins like boron, chloride, cobalt, sulfate, nickel and zinc appeared in the tests.

The public has until March 10 to make a comment to DCR DEQ about Dominion’s cap-in-place permit application.

Instead of capping in place, a majority of survey respondents said the ash should be removed, and recycled.

From survey results:

“A Second Alternative Is To Require Dominion To Recycle As Much Of The Coal Ash As Possible Into Cement Block, And Dispose Of The Rest In A Safe, Fully-lined Landfill. Would You Be More Likely
Or Less Likely To Support This Plan?

At a 91 percent level of support. The African-American voters in Prince William County gravitate to this idea. And so do 83 percent of all registered Independents in the County. The attitude one holds toward Dominion, whether it is favorable (47%) or unfavorable (17%) does not appear to affect their attitudes toward this solution to a county problem. Both say, at an 82 percent level, they would be more likely to support this alternative to Dominion’s simple “cap in place” plan.”

The Prince William County Board of Supervisors will hold a work session on the coal ash issue at its March 7 meeting.

The study surveyed 405 Prince William County residents in the east and western ends of the county. The poll was conducted by The Cromer Group and has +5 margin of error.

The Possum Point Power Station stopped producing coal ash, a byproduct of burning coal, in 2003. Dominion is in the process of consolidating coal ash, moving the toxic material from five ponds into one, and legally treating and discharging excess water from Pond D into the Quantico Creek and the Potomac River.

The treat and release process temporarily stopped in October when higher than permitted levels of toxins were found in the treated water.