New Coal Ash Landfill Considered In Rockingham County

Duke Energy is considering opening up a landfill to store coal ash waste in Rockingham County. The new site is part of the company's plan to find safer ways to store the toxic waste.

The News and Record reports that Duke Energy would build and own the new facility at the nearby Dan River Steam Station, but Eden city officials would need to sign off on the plan, even if the project is outside of municipal limits.

Tom Terrell, an attorney hired by the city, says Duke Energy is considering several sites.

Last February, a pipe at one of the storage ponds at the retired plant broke, releasing nearly 39,000 tons of toxic waste into the Dan River. The General Assembly has since required Duke Energy to remove the coal ash and close ponds at four priority sites in the state, including the Dan River no later than 2019.

The company says it's also considering sending some of the waste to a private landfill in Virginia, if state environmental officials approve its overall cleanup plan.  

Last year, Duke Energy produced about 2.8 million tons of coal ash.

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