OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Environmental groups are sounding the alarm about a proposal by a plant near Sioux City to put water that's run through coal ash into the Missouri River. They say it would contain dangerous heavy metals that need to stay out of the river.
The plant is George Neal Energy Center North in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa.
The idea is to put coal ash leachate in the Missouri River. That's water that's run through coal ash.
According to the EPA, coal ash contains contaminants including mercury, arsenic and cadmium.
"We think MidAmerican should be providing treatment for this leachate before discharging it into the Missouri River," said Michael Schmidt, an attorney at the Iowa Environmental Council.
He says in this case, the leachate is from precipitation that seeps through coal ash and something has to be done with that contaminated water.
"MidAmerican's analysis did not justify the increase in pollution," he said. "There are treatment alternatives that mean American basically said it didn't want to do either because they were expensive or MidAmerican didn't think they were feasible."
But MidAmerican told 3 News Now the water is treated. They added the plan would allow for water that doesn't evaporate quickly enough to be discharged into the river in certain "controlled" circumstances, like when it rains a lot. They say even that would be treated.
Their statement reads in full: “The Iowa Environmental Council is mischaracterizing the proposal. MidAmerican meets all federal and state wastewater discharge standards. As our plan proposes, water from the coal combustion residual landfill will be directed to two lined water treatment ponds. The plan would also allow for water that doesn't evaporate to be discharged to the Missouri River in certain and controlled circumstances, such as in cases of extremely high precipitation. Even then, the wastewater would meet public health and environmental limits set by regulators.”
The plan is not a sure thing yet. Now, a draft proposal from MidAmerican is in a public comment stage until April 14. After that, a revised version is submitted to the Iowa DNR for consideration.
The proposal is happening through the antidegradation process, which is mandated by federal regulations and applies when there are new discharges or other actives regulated by wastewater discharge permits, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
A DNR permit would also receive a public notice and comment.
In a public notice published in the Sioux City Journal and local libraries, the company said anyone wishing to comment on the proposed treatment alternative must do so in writing by April 14 to MidAmerican’s using Jacob.Arnold@midamerican.com or by mail to MidAmerican Energy Company, Attention: Jacob Arnold, 4299 Northwest Urbandale Drive, Urbandale, Iowa, 50322.
A copy of MidAmerican’s plan published by the Iowa Environmental Council is here. Schmidt said it is not available on the company’s website. The legal posting says it is available by request to Arnold.
"Rivers connect us. they're so vitally important for drinking and for fishing. If you're eating that fish, and it has things like mercury and lead, you don't want that," said Katie Rock of the Iowa Sierra Club. She says people care about what's in the water and that showed during the 2019 floods. She says people reached out with questions then about what's in the water.
Schmidt said the EPA recently proposed new rules after the plan was posted.
“It’s disappointing that MidAmerican is not considering what EPA is now saying is the technology that all utilities should be using.”
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