Duke Energy has removed about one-fifth of the coal ash stored in an unlined basin at its Marshall Steam Station on Lake Norman. The utility says it’s on pace to meet the state deadline early.
Coal ash is the byproduct of coal combustion. Duke Energy started storing coal ash in unlined, onsite coal ash ponds when it built the plant in the 1960s. Now there are millions of tons of it there. In 2019, state regulators ordered Duke to put it in a lined landfill.
“By state law, we have to have it done by December 2035,” Duke Energy spokesperson Bill Norton said. “We're gonna beat that by a few years.”
Catawba Riverkeeper Brandon Jones toured the excavation site last week. He asked how Duke Energy is tracking groundwater leaving the landfill and excavation site — and how they’re treating that water before it leaves the property.
He was pleased with Duke’s response.
“So, far it looks good, but we’re not there yet,” Jones said. “The groundwater’s still contaminated, and the ash still has to get excavated.”
Duke has removed about a third of the total coal ash in its basins statewide. All coal ash in unlined basins will need to be excavated by 2038.
