ASH LANDFILL
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ASH LANDFILL
Dairyland Power is considering using land adjacent to the Vernon County Landfill as a landfill for its coal ash produced at the Genoa plant. Creating this landfill will negatively impact the Seas Branch, West Fork and Kickapoo water sheds.
Should a coal ash landfill be located anywhere in Vernon County? Landfills across this county have been notorious for polluting ground water. Why should we believe anyone who tells us it will be safe? Dairyland will tell us they are using a state of the art design. A better design than in all the other places where groundwater contamination has taken place. Of course the people that now have contaminated water in those places were told the same thing. They were told it would be safe. Dairyland would like us to believe that a plastic and clay liner on top of a ridge is sufficient to protect the groundwater. Unfortunately our ridges are made of rock that is like Swiss Cheese to water.
When the County Landfill was built we were assured that it would be safe. But was it safe for the Seas Branch for it has suffered with consistent yearly Blue-Green Algae blooms ever since the County landfill was built. Now let's add some coal ash mercury to this picture. "Methyl-mercury is formed from mercury by the action of anaerobic organisms that live in aquatic systems including lakes, rivers, wetlands, sediments, soils and the open ocean. Methyl-mercury is linked to subtle developmental deficits in children exposed in-utero such as loss of IQ points, and decreased performance in tests of language skills, memory function and attention deficits. Methyl-mercury exposure in adults has also been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease including heart attack. Some evidence also suggests that methyl-mercury can cause autoimmune effects in sensitive individuals."-wikipedia.org
This image was taken 08/19/2007 at 9:15am. The Flood as seen from the top of Seas Branch Lake dam. The county landfill is on top of the ridge to the right. Now think back to last summers flooding and how the water flowed down and out of the hillsides. Let's look at the TOPO.
Just like with coffee beans versus ground coffee, running water over coal ash leaches far more toxins out than if you ran the water over lump of coal. Lets say we put the ash on top of a hill. Air+Water+Gravity+Time and the ash and water are at the bottom of the hill. It is really that simple. The lake couldn't be more downhill from the landfill.
Coal Ash contains toxic chemicals and metals such as arsenic, lead, boron, selenium, cadmium, thallium, mercury and other pollutants. These toxins pose a risk to human health and to the environment. Coal ash also contains uranium and thorium. "In fact coal fly ash contains up to 100 times more radiation than nuclear waste."-Scientific American December 2007. Because of our karst topography the potential for ground water contamination is too great to locate this material anywhere in vernon County.
Dairyland Power and Vernon County should work together to develop a safe recycling alternative to dumping coal ash in any landfill located anywhere in Vernon County. One possible solution might be to create in Genoa a factory to produce Green Bricks. A company called The Green Brick Company has developed a way to convert fly ash into an environmental friendly brick that can be used for building.
We could use these bricks for some of our streets, public buildings or sidewalks. With proper promotion and with the Mississippi right there for barging the bricks, world wide sales should be no problem. A Green Brick Factory would create new jobs and bring more commerce to our county. "Other emerging applications of fly ash include the construction and sinking of artificial reefs, metal (aluminum and iron) extraction via direct acid leaching, and as a filler in paints and plastics. Examples of products which may contain fly ash include paints and undercoatings, auto bodies and boat hulls, PVC pipes, battery cases, bowling balls, utensils and tool handles, vinyl floor covering, and shower stalls."-EPA. A Green project could attract investments and grants.
If you would like to see the county work with Dairyland Power to develop a safe recycling alternative to dumping coal ash in any landfill anywhere in Vernon County then click on the link below and sign and return the petition.
For information about who to contact about this click on the link below
For more information about Dairylands plans for a coal ash landfill in Vernon County check out the link below.