EPA: 584 coal ash storage sites in 35 states, including 3 in Boulder

September 9, 2009 · Posted in Energy · 4 Comments 
Wade Payne/Associated Press A Tennessee plant that spilled over a billion gallons of toxic coal ash was rated “low hazard.” Photo by the Associated Press.

A Tennessee plant that spilled over a billion gallons of toxic coal ash in December. Photo by the Associated Press.

The EPA has released the results from a survey of coal ash storage sites in the United States, including 35 sites operated by Xcel Energy in Colorado, three of which are in Boulder.

The survey was triggered by a disastrous spill of more than a billion gallons of toxic ash from a Tennessee coal plant last December. Here’s the full list of coal ash storage sites.

From the Associated Press:

The toxic leftovers from burning coal for power are sitting in nearly 600 sites in 35 states, according to a federal survey released Tuesday. Spills have occurred at 34 of those sites over the last decade.

Many of the spills were minor compared with the disaster that occurred at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s power plant in Kingston, Tenn., in December. That spill, which flooded hundreds of acres of land, damaged homes and killed fish in nearby rivers, is not included in the data, although it triggered the EPA’s March request of 61 power companies for information on how they manage coal combustion waste.

The survey is the most comprehensive list to date of coal ash storage sites and includes information submitted by 219 facilities.

Read the full story from the Associated Press, or learn more about the coal ash stored in Boulder after the jump. Read more

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