Columbia Energy Center Primary Ash Pond

Columbia Energy Center Primary Ash Pond is a coal ash disposal site associated with Columbia Energy Center, owned and operated by Alliant Energy subsidiary Wisconsin Power & Light Company near Pardeeville, Wisconsin.

Site data
Information below derived from EPA's Coal Ash Survey database; GPS coordinates courtesy of Earthjustice researchers.
 * Owner: 	Wisconsin Power & Light Company
 * Parent company: 	Alliant Energy*Associated coal plant: 	Columbia Energy Center*Location: 	Pardeeville, WI
 * GPS coordinates: 	43.4860, -89.4200
 * Hazard potential: 	None
 * Year commissioned: 	1975
 * Year(s) expanded:
 * Material(s) stored: 	Fly ash, Bottom ash, other
 * Professional Engineer (PE) designed?: 	Yes
 * PE constructed?: 	No
 * PE monitored?: 	No
 * Significant deficiencies identified: 	None
 * Corrective measures: 	None
 * Surface area (acres): 	8
 * Storage capacity (acre feet): 	36
 * Unit Height (feet): 	23
 * Historical releases: 	None
 * Additional notes:

Associated coal waste sites

 * Columbia Energy Center Landfill Storm Water Pond
 * Columbia Energy Center Secondary Ash Pond

Coal waste in the United States
A January 2009 study by The New York Times following the enormous TVA coal ash spill found that there are more than 1,300 surface impoundments across the U.S. containing coal waste, with some sites as large as 1,500 acres. Also in January 2009, an Associated Press study found that 156 coal-fired power plants store ash in surface ponds similar to the one that ruptured at Kingston Fossil Plant. The states with the most storage in coal ash in ponds are Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama. The AP's analysis found that in 2005, 721 power plants generating at least 100 MW of electricity produced 95.8 million tons of coal ash, about 20 percent of which - or almost 20 million tons - ended up in surface ponds. The rest of the ash winds up in landfills or is sold for other uses. In June 2009, EPA released its list of 44 "high hazard potential" coal waste sites, which included 12 sites in North Carolina, 9 in Arizona, 6 in Kentucky, 6 in Ohio, and 4 in West Virginia. The full list is available here.

Coal Ash Waste and Water Contamination
In August 2010 a study released by the Environmental Integrity Project, the Sierra Club and Earthjustice reported that Wisconsin, along with 34 states, had significant groundwater contamination from coal ash that was not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The report, in an attempt to pressure the EPA to regulate coal ash, noted that most states do not monitor drinking water contamination levels near waste disposal sites. The report mentioned Wisconsin's Columbia Energy Center and Oak Creek Power Plant as two sites that have groundwater contamination due to coal ash waste.

Other coal waste sites
To see a nationwide list of over 350 coal waste sites in the United States, click here. To see a listing of coal waste sites in a particular state, click on the map:



Citizen groups

 * Center for Public Integrity
 * Earthjustice
 * Energy Justice Network
 * Environmental Integrity Project
 * NRDC
 * Organic Consumers Association
 * Sludge Safety Project
 * Sierra Club

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Coal waste
 * Wisconsin and coal
 * Wisconsin Power & Light Company
 * Alliant Energy