If Hammond’s permit is approved, they worry close-in-place permits soon will follow at larger sites, like Plant Scherer in Juliette.Īt all five plants where Georgia Power plans to seal-in-place, the coal ash is sitting in groundwater. The permit for Hammond is being closely watched by environmentalists and others who are opposed to coal ash being capped in place without a protective liner and a leachate collection system to protect groundwater. Processing… Maybe next time Setting a precedent for other ponds Have The Current delivered to your inbox each Wednesday and Sunday. Want to see more in-depth journalism for Savannah and Coastal Georgia? But what about the people who cannot afford water filters, she asked, and do the filters even protect her?Ĭoal ash is the toxic waste left behind when coal is burned to generate electricity, and the debate over what to do with the massive piles of coal ash in Georgia has entered a new phase as the state’s largest electric utility seeks approval from regulators to seal in place the waste where it sits in unlined pits at five plants. Keefe said she was warned not to drink the water when she first moved to Rome seven years ago, so she uses filtered water for drinking and cooking. “Is it too much to expect a utility company we all pay every month – many of us for decades and lifetimes – to conduct business ethically and responsibly and clean up their messes?” said Melissa Keefe, who lives in Rome. More than three dozen residents from all over the state dialed into the virtual hearing focused on Plant Hammond in Rome, as speaker after speaker Zoomed in to urge the state Environmental Protection Division to reverse course on approving the utility’s plans. This story also appeared in Georgia Recorder