Lawsuit Filed in Fly Ash Case

On Friday, the Sun reported that one of the families in Gambrills that has been affected by the toxic groundwater plume caused by fly ash contamination has filed suit against Constellation Energy, claiming the contaminated water killed her husband. It's a good first step. Litigation against MDE and the Anne Arundel County Health Department for criminal negligence and the sand mine for its complicity should probably be considered as well.

It's unfortunate, but too often legal action is the only way to move corporate or government entities to do the right thing.

Council Punts on Legislation to Ban Fly Ash

Several Republican Councilmembers last night stonewalled the Leopold administration's effort to ban the dumping of fly ash in Anne Arundel County. Rather than move to protect public safety, Councilmen Middlebrooks and Dillon seem to be having second thoughts on the matter. After Middlebrooks amended the bill from a ban to a 1-year moratorium, Councilman Dillon declared "I almost feel, in a sense, that we've dropped the hammer too fast." It should be noted that two of Constellation's coal plants, which produce the fly ash, are in the heart of Mr. Dillon's district.

County Takes Action to Stop Poisoning of Wells

Executive Leopold has introduced emergency legislation to stop a practice that has been decried on this site a number of times, the storage of fly ash in soils where it can leech into groundwater.

Fly ash, a particularly nasty by-product of burning coal, is an amalgam of goodies, often including such heavy metals as: nickel, vanadium, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, barium, chromium, copper, molybdenum, zinc, lead, selenium, uranium, thorium, and radium. Earlier this year, the EPA released a report on the potential dangers of fly ash to human health.

The legislation would prohibit the disposal of fly ash anywhere in the County. Let's hope it passes unanimously.

More Well Tests, More Heavy Metals

Having found dangerously high levels of heavy metals in wells in Gambrills and Crofton, the Health Department is now expanding its testing effort into Odenton. As has been discussed here previously, well tests in west Anne Arundel have revealed elevated levels of arsenic, cadmium, and thallium in the water there.

Just for some context. Here's a map of the Constellation fly ash site, the Magothy aquifer, and the surrounding area.

West County Wells Reveal More Heavy Metals

Since finding high levels of heavy metal in several wells in the Gambrills area earlier in the year, the Health Department has now found lead levels above federal standards in three other nearby wells.

So, what happens next? The County expands the testing zone a bit more, and is looking to sample 25 more wells in the Crofton and Gambrills areas. Meanwhile, nearby residents continue to drink from wells that are likely poisoned.

Where are the metals coming from? Surprise, surprise:

"The cause of the high lead levels has not been determined, but the wells are situated in path of groundwater that flows from a fly ash landfill site operated by the Reliable Contracting Co. Inc. and Constellation Energy Group at the BBSS Sand and Gravel Mine."

It was certainly a brilliant idea to stockpile the groundwater re-charge area for much of Anne Arundel County with persistent poisons. I, for one, would not be surprised to see the presence of these heavy metals in wells considerably beyond the area currently being tested.

The Capital's piece on the situation also reveals that rather than testing wells proactively, the County only tests them reactively, such as when a private owner alerts them to a problem. The County Health Officer, Frances Phillips, is apparently just beginning to get a clue, "This experience ... really does raise concern that we have to have a good understanding of what is in our groundwater. We really don’t have good data." You would think a lack of "good data" on potable water quality might be something that would have alarmed the Health Officer well in advance of this looming disaster, no?

Poisoning Our Wells

Today's Capital reports on an issue that caught my attention for the first time several months ago, the risk that certain waste disposal practices pose to our drinking water sources. The article reports that heavy metals have been found in a number of wells in Gambrills. High levels of beryllium, cadmium, thallium, aluminum, manganese and sulfate have been discovered in at least six wells.

According to a statement from the Health Department, beryllium has not been shown to be harmful to humans, but animal testing has linked the element to ulcers.

Cadmium can cause stomach irritation, kidney and liver damage and fragile bones. The substance was found in four of the five wells, sometimes at levels three times the acceptable Environmental Protection Agency level, the health department said.

Thallium, when ingested in large amounts over a few days can cause temporary hair loss and affect kidneys, intestines, blood, nervous system, heart, lungs and liver. No effects have been reported when only small amounts are ingested, the health department said.

Aluminum, manganese and sulfate may cause cosmetic or aesthetic affects in water, but has no enforceable safety level, the health department said.

So where are these heavy metals coming from? Could it be the site where Constellation Energy is dumping its fly ash into open Crofton sand mines? Sand mines that also happen to be located in the primary groundwater re-charge area for the Magothy aquifer?

According to the spokesman for Constellation, "The elevated levels could be a natural occurrence." Indeed, they could be. It couldalso be a good idea to plug the giant geological water filter in the middle of Anne Arundel County with the heavy-metal laden spoils from coal-fired power plants, but I doubt it.

Let's hope the next Councilman from District 4, and the new County Executive, pay more attention to this than the current ones have.

They may want to start by testing for: nickel, vanadium, arsenic, barium, chromium, copper, molybdenum, zinc, lead, selenium and radium, other heavy metals often found in fly ash.