Florence Floodwaters Breach Coal Ash Pond and Imperil Other Toxic Sites

"Surging floodwaters from Florence, now a tropical depression, have swept away part of a retaining wall holding back a pond of coal ash – which contains mercury, arsenic and other toxic substances – and have also overrun several lagoons of pig waste in North Carolina. The mishaps amplified concerns about an array of danger zones including Superfund sites, chemical plants and the region’s industrial hog farms.

Duke Energy, which owns the power plant in Wilmington, N.C., where the coal-ash breach occurred, said that “site personnel are managing the situation and will proceed with a full repair as weather conditions improve.”

Here is where the dangers lie across the hardest-hit states: [maps]"

Kendra Pierre-Louis, Nadja Popovich, and Hiroko Tabuchi report for the New York Times September 17, 2018.

SEE ALSO:

"Florence's Death Toll Stands at 32 as It Weakens to a Depression" (TIME)

"Flooding From Florence To Swamp Carolinas For Days – Or Even Weeks; Death Toll Hits 32" (USA TODAY)

"Millions of Chickens Drown In Florence Floodwaters, Manure Pits Damaged" (Reuters)