The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is issuing draft permits in favor of proposed plans for coal ash impoundments at Pekin's Powerton plant.
Coal ash is a toxic byproduct of the power production process that can contaminate water supplies if not properly contained or removed.
The tentative decision to issue permits to Midwest Generation comes after a state appellate court upheld the IEPA's stricter 2021 coal ash rules last month. The company is proposing removing coal ash from three basins, and consolidating the ash in place in a fourth, older basin.
There's no documentation about what's in the fourth basin, which was shut down in the 1970s and may date back to the power plant's beginnings in 1928. The other three basins date to the late '70s-early '80s and contain or contained various forms of ash.
The newer basins aren't lined to current IEPA standards, and the oldest is assumed to be unlined due to its age. A separate draft permit was filed to retrofit a bypass basin that was used when the main ash basin was under maintenance.
The IEPA's rules also require liners to be removed when coal residue is taken away. A cover of at least 6 feet thick is required if coal ash is left in place.
Midwest Generation would be required to continue maintaining the oldest basin for the next 30 years. The company also submitted a groundwater monitoring plan, dust control plan, and emergency plan.
The Powerton plant is slated to close by 2028. The public will have an opportunity to weigh in on the draft permits at 6 p.m. May 8 at the Miller Center in Pekin.
