SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - After the closure of two coal ash ponds by Lake Springfield, CWLP is presenting plans with how to dispose of the waste left behind.
Licensed professional geologist Brad Hunsberger with Andrews Engineering presented the plan, which came down to two options: capping the 35 acre ponds or transporting the ash to offsite landfills.
"Closure by insulation of a final cover system will be protective of human health and the environment," Hunsberger said. "Therefore, instillation of a final cover system as described in the rules will also suffice as a corrective action."
This decision was also best economically, since it will cost around $8 million compared to the $145 million price tag for transporting the ash somewhere else.
Hunsberger said the design will follow EPA standards.
"It typically includes a forty-mil low density polyethylene layer that's overlain by a drainage net, which drains precipitation off of the surface when it's incapsulated, and then a 36-inch protective cover, which is soil."
However, environmental advocates like Faith Bugel, the attorney for Sierra Club Illinois, are concerned with this plan.
"One of the biggest problems is that that ash is sitting in contact with groundwater, so putting a cap on top does not stop that contact with groundwater and will not stop the pollution from leaking out of the ash into the groundwater," Bugel said.
CWLP said there will be monitoring of groundwater following the capping for at least 35 years.
A permit application for the closure plan will be submitted to the EPA by Feb. 1, 2022, and if approved, the closure would be complete by 2026.
