TWO-THIRDS OF WV'S COAL-ASH DAMS MIGHT NEED REPAIRS - 25% In Unsatisfactory Condition, Dams Built Without State Knowledge

(11/09/2009)

About two-thirds of the coal-ash dams across West Virginia might need repairs, a quarter of them are ranked as being in poor or unsatisfactory condition, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP reported that eight of the 20 coal-ash dams it examined were in satisfactory condition. Inspectors found stability problems, seepage and erosion at some of the dams as part of a "comprehensive review" launched after the disastrous failure of a coal-ash impoundment in East Tennessee. The DEP also found problems that resulted in at least five enforcement actions at landfills where dry waste products from coal-fired power plants have been dumped. The Charleston Gazette says the 44-page DEP report says that the companies are taking the proper corrective action. The DEP inspectors admitted that American Electric Power built two coal-ash dams at one Mason County site without the state knowing about it. State dam-safety experts seldom inspect coal-ash dams in West Virginia, because state law does not require periodic reviews. After the collapse of the Tennessee dam, the Charleston Gazette revealed that most of the coal-ash dams in West Virginia had not been visited by a state dam inspector in at least five years. DEP Secretary Randy Huffman said his agency is exploring options for more frequent inspections.

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