Dumfries effort to urge removal of Possum Point coal ash fails

The Dumfries Town Council on Tuesday struck down a motion to pass a resolution demanding the  Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to require Dominion to haul away toxic coal ash from Possum Point Power Station on the Potomac River.

The utility is in the process of consolidating water and toxic coal ash – a by-product produced when the power plant burned coal from 1947 to 2003 before it converted to gas — from four coal ash ponds into one lined pond.

Once all in one lined pond, the water will be drained, treated, and released into the Potomac River. The remaining coal pond will be capped and closed in place, as is done when a landfill is closed.

Dumfries Councilman William Murphy motioned for the resolution fearing that, once the pond is capped and closed, coal ash could seep out and contaminate ground water.

Dominion is required to monitor the groundwater around the site for 30 years after the pond is closed. The utility in May demonstrated how it plans to treat and release the coal ash water before closing the ponds.

If the remaining coal ash would be removed from the site, it could be hauled away on trucks, or placed on rail cars on the rail line that runs next to Possum Point station.

“If we ask to carry our by rail or truck, the consumer would be picking up the tab,” said Councilman Cliff Brewer. “If you think your electric bills are high now, just wait.”

Even if the resolution passed, Dominion spokesman Rob Richardson said it would have no impact on what the utility has legally been permitted to do by the state during the pond closure process.

He sent us this statement:

None of the coal ash is leaving Possum Point Power Station and Dominion is clean closing 4 out of the 5 coal ash ponds.

Starting today, June 20, we will begin work to consolidate the remaining ash from ponds A, B, C and E into one clay-lined pond, Pond D. The trucks leaving E pond will remain on station property and the trucks leaving A,B, and C ponds will cross Possum Point Road at one location near the station and then remain on station property. The crossing point will have signage and flag persons. We expect this work to take 6 to 9 months to complete.

Current estimates are a total of 100,000 cubic yards of ash in ABC ponds and a total of 100,000 cubic yards of ash in E pond. Once it is consolidated, we estimate 4 million cubic yards of ash in Pond D.

Once all of the ash is consolidated in clay-lined Pond D, it will be compacted, covered with a synthetic layer and 24 inches of soil, and then seeded with grass. Dominion has applied for a solid waste permit with the Department of Environmental Quality to address the closure process, as well as post-closure groundwater monitoring and inspection requirements.