Public Hearing Held on Water Pollution Discharged by Ameren’s E.D. Edwards Coal Plant into the Illinois River
PEORIA, Ill. – Today, Peoria metro area residents gathered on the waterfront in Peoria to call on Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to protect public health and local waterways from toxic water pollution discharged from the E.D. Edwards coal-fired power plant in Bartonville, Ill. The group came together prior to an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) hearing on a reissued water discharge permit for the plant held at the Pekin Public Library.
Throughout its 52 years of operations, the E.D. Edwards plant has dumped large amounts of coal ash dangerously close to the Illinois River. The accumulated toxic coal ash currently sits in an 89-acre, 32-foot high pond near the plant and has left groundwater contamination problems on the site. Each day, more than 5 million gallons of water is polluted with toxic metals like arsenic, lead and mercury by coal and coal ash processing. To date, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has failed to place limits in its water discharge permit for the E.D. Edwards plant on the amount of dangerous heavy metal pollution that the plant can send from the plant’s ash ponds into the river.
“The water discharge permit written by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency does not limit toxic metals that Ameren can discharge from the Edwards coal plant,” said Traci Barkley, Water Resources Scientist with the Prairie Rivers Network. “In order to adequately protect our health and the quality of our drinking water, IEPA must strengthen its permit for the Edwards plant to prevent water contamination issues near Peoria.”
The E.D. Edwards coal plant’s current water permit is expired, and the draft permit sets no limits on toxic metals discharged from the plant’s coal ash pond. The draft permit only requires twice yearly monitoring for pollutants including arsenic, boron, cadmium, lead, mercury and selenium.
“From polluting our air to polluting our water, coal hurts our community’s health in so many ways, said Alyssa McMillian from ICC Students Advocating For the Environment (SAFE). “It’s time to work together as a community to revitalize our city by transitioning away from burning fossil fuels. As a young person, I’m determined to bring together many different voices here in Peoria to create a new legacy in our region.”
The E.D. Edwards coal plant reports that it can discharge more than 4 million gallons per day of ash pond wastewater, containing a mixture of fly-ash and bottom ash contaminated waste. Ameren, the current operators of the Edwards coal plant, was required to monitor for mercury only on a monthly basis, and Ameren only had to do that 12 times before stopping indefinitely.
“When pollutants like arsenic, boron and mercury come into contact with water, it can be disastrous for public health,” said Tessie Bucklar with Peoria Families Against Toxic Waste. “Doctors and scientists know that exposure to these dangerous metals can lead to birth defects, cancer, and even death. Think of how many are out on that water every summer? Their health is on the line, and it is more important than ever that the IEPA do its job and protect our water and our health from toxic metals in our waterways.”
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), more than half of all toxic water pollution in the country comes from coal-fired power plants, making coal plants the number one source of toxic water pollution in the country. Toxic metals from the coal ash waste pond at the E.D. Edwards coal plant discharge into the Illinois River, which serves as a water supply for many river towns and is popular for fishing and swimming. The Illinois River is already designated as an impaired waterway because of mercury contamination and active coal-fired power plants are among the largest sources of these toxic pollutants.
“It is disheartening to know that polluters are given a free pass to discharge toxic metals into our waterways,” said Jacob Leibel, Peoria Resident and member of the Central Illinois Healthy Community Alliance. “The Illinois River, Pekin Lake and our other local fishing spots define summertime here in Peoria. We boat, we fish and we recreate in that water. Right now, the fish that comes from the Illinois River is too dangerous to eat. Our families and our rivers deserve better than toxic pollution.”