>>1776157

http://www.charlottestories.com/radiation-confirmed-in-drinking-water-around-lake-norman/

Radiation Confirmed in Ground Water Around Lake Norman

March 8, 2018

New data released by Duke Energy shows higher than expected levels of radioactivity in the groundwater around Lake Norman.

The EPA recently mandated Duke Energy to drill test wells to monitor and test for groundwater pollution at all of their coal power plants around the country and to release the data to the public. Rather than summarizing any of their findings or providing any easy-to-understand charts or graphs, Duke instead released a virtual library of information which they called the “CCR Rule Compliance Data & Information“.

Earthjustice Senior Attorney Lisa Evans discovered some very alarming numbers after digging through the over 20,000 pages of data Duke posted on their website.

“The way Duke Energy presented its data showed a clear intent to obscure the findings,” noted Lisa Evans. “Despite Duke’s efforts, we found that the data reveal levels of radium in groundwater that far exceed EPA’s drinking water standards and that could clearly harm people who use this water for drinking.”

According to the Waterkeeper Alliance, “Levels of radioactivity from radium at the Marshall coal-fired power plant on Lake Norman were 2.5 times the federal drinking water standard. Thallium levels at Marshall also exceeded federal standards and were 18 times higher than the North Carolina groundwater standard. Ash ponds at Marshall are still leaking into surface water and groundwater upstream of drinking water intakes for more than 1 million people in the Charlotte region. Together, these alarming results mean that Marshall ash facilities are much more polluted than previously disclosed.”

>>1776846

GROUNDWATER MONITORING REVEALS WIDESPREAD RADIOACTIVITY AT DUKE ENERGY COAL PLANTS​

https://earthjustice.org/news/press/2018/groundwater-monitoring-reveals-widespread-radioactivity-at-duke-energy-coal-plants

Data shows high levels of radioactivity at 11 of 18 plants

MARCH 2, 2018

Washington, D.C. — Today is the deadline for coal-fired power plants to post the results of their groundwater monitoring under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2015 rule regulating the storage and disposal of coal ash. EPA required such monitoring to determine the extent to which coal ash impoundments and landfills were contaminating groundwater. The results confirm the widespread groundwater contamination caused by coal ash around the country. In particular, Duke Energy’s results reveal startlingly high levels of radioactivity at 11 out of 18 plants.

Sam Perkins, the Catawba Riverkeeper, noted, “This is yet another extremely concerning case of new information about Duke discharging dangerous pollutants from its property. Given Duke’s criminal history and ongoing probation, I am alarmed that Duke has failed to learn from its past mistakes. Duke must take ownership of its problems and stop hiding this information from their neighbors and the millions of people who depend on the Catawba River for drinking water.

The highest levels of radioactivity were found at Duke Energy’s Asheville Power Plant, with levels of radium in groundwater 38 times what EPA considers safe for drinking water. “These results confirm that we were right to force Duke Energy to commit to removing the coal ash from the leaking ash ponds at their Asheville site,” said Hartwell Carson, the French Broad Riverkeeper. “We need to ensure that Duke’s clean up of the site stops the release of dangerous pollutants to our groundwater.”