COAL ASH FACTS
ESSENTIAL BARRY PLANT COAL ASH FACTS
Coal ash at Plant Barry is polluting the groundwater and Mobile River with toxic heavy metals and will continue to pollute if ash is not removed.
Coal ash spills have happened in similar facilities devastating surrounding waterways,
local communities, and aquatic life. The Plant Barry pond is situated in a precarious site next to the Mobile River and the Delta making it susceptible to breach by a hurricane or heavy flooding upriver.
Other utilities in the southeast, including Georgia Power, are economically removing 250 million tons of coal ash thus protecting their cities and rivers. Alabamians deserve the same.
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America’s Most Endangered Rivers 2022 (americanrivers.org)
#3. MOBILE RIVER—COAL ASH POLUTION
Every Alabama Power customer state-wide is currently paying $4.49 per month for closure of ash ponds. Alabama Power says it is too expensive to remove the 21 million tons of ash. In Virginia, customers are paying $3.23 a month to dig up and relocate 27 million tons of coal ash.
21M
21 million tons of toxic ash currently at Plant Barry
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*20 times the volume of oil spilled in the BP Oil Disaster
0
Effective
Cap-in-Place sites below the
water table
$1.2M
Alabama Power fines for existing groundwater violations
3
Ranking 3rd in America's Most Endangered Rivers
Why is Coal Ash Harmful?
Coal ash is a toxic byproduct of coal-burning power plants. It contains heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury, and cobalt among others. The Barry Plant coal ash pond sits within the flood plain of the Mobile River. It is unlined and covers an area equal to 451 football fields, containing 21 million tons of coal ash sludge. In many places it is within 200 yards of the river, with only a dike made of dirt, clay, and coal ash separating it from the river. If there were a major rainfall event or a hurricane near the site, the dike could be breached, and according to Alabama Power’s Emergency Action plan, the coal ash sludge would cover 30 square miles of the delta and flow down the Mobile River towards the bay.
ACT NOW!
Protecting our Communities from Toxic Coal Ash