Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Deposition Reveals New Details In Lawsuit Over Coal Ash Pollution

Environmental groups are suing Duke Energy over coal ash pollution -- KERI BROWN/WFDD

New information is coming out involving Duke Energy's coal ash storage ponds.

One of the state's top health experts disagrees with a decision to call wells near coal ash dumps safe.

The Southern Environmental Law Center represents a number of local organizations who are suing Duke Energy for its coal ash pollution. They want the company to move the waste to lined storage areas away from rivers, streams, or drinking water intake sites.

A deposition in the case this month centered partly around do-not-drink advisories the state issued last year to hundreds of private well owners. Those orders were later rescinded.

Dr. Megan Davies is with the state Department of Health and Human Services. In her testimony, she says she did not agree with her agency telling more than 200 homeowners that their wells contained safe levels of vanadium and the carcinogen hexavalent chromium.

According to the Winston-Salem Journal, the company also met with state officials to challenge the water advisories.

Duke Energy says it's not responsible for the contaminants, which are found in coal ash, and can occur naturally in the environment.

State health officials say similar levels of the metals can also be found in some public drinking water systems.

The state is requiring the company to close all of its ash basins by 2029. Duke Energy says its already started the cleanup process at some of the locations.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate