Clermont County worries about water supply contamination with power plant cleanup

PIERCE TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WKRC) — Nearly 12 years after the Beckjord coal-burning power plant in Pierce Township was decommissioned, local leaders are raising alarms about the potential threat it poses to the region’s water supply.

Duke Energy shut down the plant in 2014, selling it to Commercial Liability Partners, which is now responsible for its cleanup. However, leaders in Pierce and Anderson townships express concern that the cleanup is not progressing as it should.

Nearly 12 years after the Beckjord coal-burning power plant in Pierce Township was decommissioned, local leaders are raising alarms about the potential threat it poses to the region’s water supply. (WKRC, file)

Pierce Township Trustee Allen Freeman highlighted the risks posed by large wells and ponds containing old fly ash near the Ohio River.

“Thousands of pounds of pollutants, thousands of tons of pollutants sitting right next to the Ohio River in unlined pits. I mean, what could go wrong, right?” Freeman said. “As the guy that lives here and as the guy that’s the township trustee, it makes me angry. It makes me furious that this has not been insisted upon.”

The presence of heavy metals in the material raises fears that floods or other disasters could contaminate the water supply.

Additionally, township leaders report that Commercial Liability Partners has not filed an annual emergency plan with state environmental agencies since 2019, as required by law.

Pierce Township Fire Chief Craig Wright says that puts first responders at risk, as they don’t know what’s on-site if they’re called out for an emergency.

“It’s irritating. It’s infuriating,” Wright said. “It’s still unacceptable. It shouldn’t take the fire chief and the township officials at the local level to point out to the state agency that they’re not enforcing statutes.”

Freeman also noted that some monitoring equipment at the site has malfunctioned, leaving no way to detect contamination.

In response, Freeman and Anderson Township leaders co-authored letters to the state, the first one coming more than a year ago to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and then another one to Gov. Mike DeWine in May.

Nearly 12 years after the Beckjord coal-burning power plant in Pierce Township was decommissioned, local leaders are raising alarms about the potential threat it poses to the region’s water supply. (WKRC file)

They received a response only late last month, with verbal apologies for the delay from the governor’s office.

Local 12 asked ODNR why the delayed response and what the agency would do to help fix the situation.

In a statement, an agency spokesman wrote in part ODNR was requiring the company to file a new emergency plan by the end of the year, and that the site was inspected in 2023 and visited this year. But he did not address the delayed response.

In a statement, Gov. Mike DeWine’s spokesman Dan Tierney wrote the following:

“The most recent update from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources shows no structural concerns with the coal ash dams. The Ohio EPA has confirmed that both groundwater extraction wells are operational, and the most recent data available shows no evidence that contamination is migrating toward the wellfield. This information assures us that there is no immediate threat to the public, but the state agrees with the local sentiment that better and more frequent communication between all parties involved is necessary.

“The updated EAPs (emergency action plans) will be shared with appropriate local parties, including the Clermont County EMA (emergency management agency). Training on emergency action plans is typically organized at the local level, but should the local EMA need assistance from the Ohio EMA to develop training, the state will provide support.”

Local 12 also asked Freeman what he was prepared to do to keep looking for solutions.

“So, we have looked into legal avenues that we can pursue,” Freeman said. “We just have to see how strong those cases can possibly be.”

Efforts to reach Commercial Liability Partners for comment were unsuccessful.