PEORIA -- Two environmental events deserve support. One involves the problem of coal ash, and the other is about crud in the waters of the Illinois River watershed.
Sunday, Aug. 29, 1 p.m. Press Conference at Liberty Plaza at the Peoria Riverfront, located near the river edge at the corner of Liberty & Water Streets, downtown Peoria
From the news release: The Peoria region has four power plants with toxic Coal Combustion Waste (CCW). Residents living near unlined coal ash ponds who rely on well water have as much as a 1 in 50 chance of getting cancer. A new report on CCW will be presented. The federal EPA is proposing important new rules to regulate CCW and a hearing will be in Chicago September 16.Becki Clayborn, Midwest Sierra Club Field Representative, to Speak at Press Conference
New Report Issued August 26th on Coal Ash Waste Hazards
Toxic Tour to Visit Area Sites
Becki Clayburn, Midwest Sierra Staff, will present a new report on coal ash hazards at the press conference. The
risk of cancer for individuals who live near unlined coal ash waste
sites and who depend on well water is over 2000 times the level
considered acceptable by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
Peoria Area coal-fired power plants are the E.G. Edwards plant at
Bartonville; the Duck Creek Plant outside of Canton; the Powerton Plant
south of Pekin, and the Havanna Power Plant.
The Dynegy Midwest
Generation, Inc., Havanna Power Plant, 38 miles downriver from Peoria,
east coal ash site is on the federal Environmental Protection Agency
list of the top 44 most dangerous coal ash waste impoundments in the
nation.
The east coal ash waste cells at Havana are listed for a total surface area of 90 acres. A 2009 report prepared for EPA states that the inundation map for an impoundment failure has homes located immediately down gradient and there is a school within two miles. The impoundment failure floodwave would dissipate before five miles down gradient.
Coal
ash slurry can travel with great force as evidenced in the Kingston,
Tennessee, December, 2008, disaster. Clean-up of this disaster is
costing billions of dollars.
Strong federal regulations are needed to
require improved safety and management of coal combustion waste to
protect public health and water resources.
A one hour “Toxic Tour” will
be held after the press conference to view the proximity of power
plants to the Illinois River and homes in the immediate area.
Sierra Club is urging strong public support for federal regulation of CCW, which will remedy the inadequate requirements currently done by states and make regulations consistent across the country.
Thursday, Sept. 2: Public Meeting. 2 p.m. Peoria Public Library, Lakeview Branch, 1137 W. Lake, Peoria, sponsored by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's Bureau of Water.
And: at 6 p.m. in Princeton City Hall, City Council Chambers, 2 South Main Street, Princeton, IL.
the public to receive information and comment on the draft Total
Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) concerning impairments to the Illinois
River and tributaries in the Illinois River watershed. The potential
causes of impairment for the river segments are fecal coliform,
manganese and total dissolved solids. Two lakes (DePue and
Senachwine) will also be included and impairments include
phosphorus, dissolved oxygen, and total suspended solids.
This TMDL Stage 1 report includes watershed characterization and
data analysis. It presents data compiled from various sources in the
watershed.
The IEPA implements the TMDL program in accordance with Section
303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act. A TMDL is the sum of the
allowable amounts of a single pollutant (phosphorus, metals, etc.)
that a waterbody can receive from all contributing sources and still
meet water quality standards or designated uses.
Stakeholders and participants will also be asked for input and ideas
to be applied to the TMDL report. An additional public meeting will be
held in the future to discuss the next stage of TMDL development.
The draft stage one report for the Illinois River (Peoria Area)
watershed will be available on-line at www.epa.state.il.us/publicnotices.
A hard copy of the draft report will also be available by
request from the Illinois EPA. Questions about the TMDL should be
directed to Amy Walkenbach (see contact information below).
Closure of the Meeting Record
The meeting record will close as of midnight, October 2, 2010.
Written comments need not be notarized but must be postmarked
before midnight and mailed to:
Amy Walkenbach, Supervisor
Watershed Management Planning Unit, Bureau of Water
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
1021 North Grand Avenue East
P. O. Box 19276
Springfield, IL 62794-9276
Phone 217-782-3362
TDD (Hearing impaired) 217-782-9143
E-mail: Amy.Walkenbach@illinois.gov
Fax: 217-785-1225 -30-
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