Whiting Generating Plant Ponds 3-5

Whiting Generating Plant Ponds 3-5 are coal ash disposal sites associated with Whiting Generating Plant, owned and operated by CMS Energy subsidiary Consumers Energy near Erie, Michigan.

Site data
Information below derived from EPA's Coal Ash Survey database; GPS coordinates courtesy of Earthjustice researchers.
 * Owner: 	Consumers Energy
 * Parent company: 	CMS Energy
 * Associated coal plant: 	Whiting Generating Plant
 * Location: 	Erie, MI
 * GPS coordinates: 	41.7900, -83.4500
 * Hazard potential: 	None
 * Year commissioned: 	1959
 * Year(s) expanded: 	1966, 1974
 * Material(s) stored: 	Fly ash
 * Professional Engineer (PE) designed?: 	No
 * PE constructed?: 	No
 * PE monitored?: 	No
 * Significant deficiencies identified: 	None
 * Corrective measures: 	None
 * Surface area (acres): 	82
 * Storage capacity (acre feet): 	Not listed
 * Unit Height (feet): 	18
 * Historical releases: 	None
 * Additional notes:

Associated coal waste sites

 * Whiting Generating Plant Pond 1
 * Whiting Generating Plant Pond 2
 * Whiting Generating Plant Pond 6

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 Michigan, along with 34 states, had significant groundwater contamination from coal ash that is not currently 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 Michigan based Whiting Generating Plant as having 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
 * Michigan and coal
 * CMS Energy
 * Consumers Energy