Dominion starts coal ash discharge into James River

Dominion Virginia Power began releasing treated coal ash wastewater into the James River on April 27, 2016, from its Bremo Power Station in Fluvanna County, according to local reports and company statements. The discharge followed months of protests, permit fights and negotiations over how the utility would handle water stored in coal ash ponds at the site. Virginia regulators had approved the release earlier that year under a state permit, while environmental groups warned that coal ash wastewater can carry heavy metals and other pollutants. A settlement with the James River Association required Dominion to add treatment steps beyond what critics said the original permit required. ### Why did Dominion start releasing wastewater at Bremo? Bremo Power Station needed to remove water from its coal ash ponds before those impoundments could be closed, Dominion has said in later coal ash filings and on its project pages. The company describes that process as dewatering — treating pond water in an onsite wastewater treatment system and then discharging the treated water under permit limits before excavating or otherwise closing the ash units. (wtvr.com) April 27 was the first day Dominion released that treated wastewater into the James River from Bremo, WTVR reported. The station sits upstream of Richmond in Fluvanna County, and the discharge had been expected after Dominion said it planned to begin releases that Wednesday. ### What volume was Dominion planning to send into the river? Dominion said in 2016 that the Bremo discharge could total about 100 million gallons over roughly four months, according to an Associated Press report carried by WSET. (dominionenergy.com) That figure became a focal point in the public fight because opponents argued that even treated wastewater from coal ash ponds posed risks to river life and downstream users. January 2015 permit approvals allowed Dominion to begin discharging water from coal ash ponds at Bremo and at Possum Point, according to contemporaneous coverage and advocacy filings. (wtvr.com) The James River Association said at the time that the Bremo permit allowed discharge of millions of gallons per day of wastewater containing heavy metals at levels it said exceeded state standards for protecting human and aquatic life. (wset.com) ### What changed after the James River Association challenged the permit? March 2016 brought a settlement between Dominion and the James River Association over the Bremo discharge plan. Dominion and the river group said the agreement committed the utility to enhanced treatment of pond water before it entered the James. The Southern Environmental Law Center, which represented the James River Association, said the agreement showed Dominion could treat the wastewater to a higher standard than the Department of Environmental Quality permit required. (rvamag.com) Dominion, for its part, presented the settlement as a path to move ahead with dewatering while addressing concerns raised in the appeal. ### What were environmental groups warning about? (virginiabusiness.com) Coal ash contains metals including arsenic, chromium, lead and cadmium, the Southern Environmental Law Center and the James River Association said in their public materials. Those groups argued that wastewater from ash ponds could threaten river life and human health if discharge limits were not strict enough. Dean Naujoks of the Potomac Riverkeeper Network said in a 2016 SELC statement that Virginia regulators had failed to write permits that protected the James and Potomac rivers. (selc.org) The James River Association separately said its legal challenge targeted what it described as unlawful permit terms and insufficient safeguards for downstream waters. ### What role did Virginia regulators play? The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the State Water Control Board issued the permit that allowed the discharge, according to multiple 2015 and 2016 reports. (selc.org) Critics directed much of their opposition at those agencies, arguing the permit should have required tighter limits before any release began. Virginia’s later coal ash legislation changed the broader cleanup framework. (selc.org) Dominion now says bipartisan legislation passed in 2019 and signed by then-Governor Ralph Northam requires excavation and removal of ash at Bremo, Chesterfield, Possum Point and Chesapeake, with dewatering as a necessary step before closure work can proceed. ### What happens after the discharge starts? Dominion said treated water from coal ash ponds must meet permit limits before discharge, and the company’s coal ash program calls for monitoring and reporting as dewatering continues. (isssource.com) The company’s later biennial progress reports track closure plans, groundwater and surface water monitoring, and removal work at Bremo and its other Virginia coal ash sites. (dominionenergy.com) The next milestones after the 2016 release were tied to pond closure and ash removal at Bremo under Virginia’s coal ash program. Dominion’s most recent public progress reports remain the place where the company and state officials document closure work, monitoring results and the status of excavation at the site. (dominionenergy.com) (dominionenergy.com)