Just days after Dominion Virginia Power, a utility company, confirmed it released 33.7 million gallons of coal ash water into a tributary of the Potomac River last spring, county officials say they distrust the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the company alike.
“They did not let the public know they were going to do that. They did not let the county know they were going to do that. And it just looks very, very, shady,” said Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, in an interview with ThinkProgress.
Last month, the Virginia Water Control Board gave Dominion the permits it needed to start closing some of its coal ash ponds. That entails draining the less-polluted top water from coal ash ponds at the Possum Point power plant, located by Quantico Creek, and the Bremo power plant, located by the James River. That plan and the newly awarded permits have been questioned, however, because the wastewater would be only partially treated before it’s flushed into Quantico Creek and the James River.
“We are very, very concerned about the release of these toxins into Quantico Creek,” said Stewart, one of many in the community who fear excessive levels of harmful chemicals are being allowed in waterways rich with wildlife.
But while critics were before concerned about the stringency of permits, in the Town of Dumfries those concerns have turned into anger following news reports saying Dominion released untreated coal ash water several months before it received the new controversial permits. Both Dominion and DEQ have not been forthcoming with clear answers, environmentalists and county officials say.
Allegations of dubious practices are mounting against a Virginia state agency that last month approved the disposal of millions of gallons of partially-treated coal ash water in two Virginia Rivers. This time, however, harsh comments are not coming from environmentalists alone.
Just days after Dominion Virginia Power, a utility company, confirmed it released 33.7 million gallons of coal ash water into a tributary of the Potomac River last spring, county officials say they distrust the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the company alike.
“They did not let the public know they were going to do that. They did not let the county know they were going to do that. And it just looks very, very, shady,” said Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, in an interview with ThinkProgress.
Last month, the Virginia Water Control Board gave Dominion the permits it needed to start closing some of its coal ash ponds. That entails draining the less-polluted top water from coal ash ponds at the Possum Point power plant, located by Quantico Creek, and the Bremo power plant, located by the James River. That plan and the newly awarded permits have been questioned, however, because the wastewater would be only partially treated before it’s flushed into Quantico Creek and the James River.
“We are very, very concerned about the release of these toxins into Quantico Creek,” said Stewart, one of many in the community who fear excessive levels of harmful chemicals are being allowed in waterways rich with wildlife.
But while critics were before concerned about the stringency of permits, in the Town of Dumfries those concerns have turned into anger following news reports saying Dominion released untreated coal ash water several months before it received the new controversial permits. Both Dominion and DEQ have not been forthcoming with clear answers, environmentalists and county officials say.
Original Article
Source: thinkprogress.org/
Author: Alejandro Davila Fragoso
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