Coal Ash

Coal Ash in TN, being loaded for transit to Alabama, 2009

     Alabama has more than its share of coal ash, thanks to the spill four years ago Christmas Eve in Tennessee. The coal ash was transported by a seemingly endless line of train cars to a commercial landfill in Perry County.
     But there is home-grown coal ash too, stored in large holding ponds like the one that burst in Tennessee.
     An environmental group has created an interactive map of Alabama and other Southeastern states showing the location of those coal ash ponds, and whether they are considered risky by the EPA.
      One near Montgomery is at The Green County Power Station on Sewell Lane near Demopolis. It is listed as unrated by the EPA. The only on in the state rated as "significant" for potential damage is at the Gorgas Steam Plant operated by Alabama Power near Jasper in Walker County.
     The website also links to a 60-Minutes report about coal ash.