Residents Learn About Proposed Coal Ash Disposal at Town Hall-Style Meeting

Decades of burning coal at the Possum Point Power Station produced tons of coal ash that was stored in five ponds at the power plant near Quantico Creek.  Coal ash is one of the largest types of industrial waste generated in the United States and is generated from burning coal in coal-fired powerplants.  It can contain heavy metals and other contaminants.

Dominion Energy’s Possum Point Station stopped burning coal at the plant in 2003, and switched to natural gas, but the coal ash remains.

After it quit burning coal at the power plant, Dominion moved roughly 4 million cubic yards of coal ash from four of the onsite ponds and put it into the fifth pond. Dominion’s plans to deal with the coal ash in the remaining pond are of great interest to surrounding residents.  

In May, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors directed staff to review any permits Dominion would seek regarding coal ash disposal. Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey also established the Potomac District Task Force that would consider proposals by Dominion and propose several options to manage the coal ash.

The options the task force proposed included moving the coal ash from Possum Point via barges to an offsite recycling facility or moving the coal ash offsite by rail. The task force also asked Dominion to give at least two weeks’ notice to neighbors when trucks would be moving dirt, rocks and other material along the narrow Possum Point Road leading to the power plant. The task force also asked Dominion to commit to treating all water from the pond before discharging into Quantico Creek.

Dominion’s favored option is to bury the coal ash in an onsite landfill with a double synthetic lining, Thomas Smith, director of the Prince William County Department of Public Works told residents at a recent town hall-style meeting at Potomac Shores Middle School.  

“This landfill would meet all the requirements, be double-lined to minimize all the impacts to the environment through all the different regulations they must do in accordance with the Virginia Department of  Environmental Quality,” Smith said.

Residents look more favorably on the options of removing the coal ash by barge and rail options.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea to look at the barge,” said Hilda Barg, a former Prince William supervisor who lives near the power plant. “There’s a dock there. Everything is really there. Rail is another option that we need to seriously look at. When all the coal was brought into Possum Point, it came in on a rail spur which is still there. There’s nothing that stops us from removing the ash and taking it out on a spur. They brought in the problem, so they can take out the fix. It’s just common sense here.”

Deputy County Executive for Community Development, Rebecca Horner, told people at the meeting that past permits allow Dominion discretion on how to dispose of coal ash on the property.

Zoning reviews and determinations in 1986, 2000 and 2002 found that the coal ash pond was a “continuation of an existing use” and that a public facility review, or PFR, to regulate operations at the site was not required. Since the landfill would be onsite and is a reconstruction or improvement of an existing coal ash pond, the county could not require a new PFR.

“They have rights that are given to them through the Virginia code that allow them to remain,” Horner said. “What we had to review was the permitting history, and it turned out that … the request for the landfill is located where there is an existing PFR.”

While Dominion has the discretion to build a landfill,  a Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, Solid Waste Permit would still be required.  During the DEQ permitting process, the required public comment period will provide the opportunity for the public to raise any additional concerns associated with landfilling the coal ash on site.  Additionally, Dominion would still require some permits from the County related to the construction aspects of the project.

“Any landfill option must meet all current federal and state requirements. They must meet all local erosion and control standards, meet grading permits, and meet requirements of stormwater management,” Smith said. “We’re very interested in what the long-term plans are for this site and as part of the permit they will submit what is called a closure plan, a long-term plan for maintenance. They will be required to maintain the site for at least 30 years, if not longer. We want to make sure that no matter what option Dominion pursues that it is done safely and will mitigate potential impacts to the community and long-term impacts to the environment.”

The county cannot compel Dominion to choose a specific option, but Horner encouraged people to remain involved.

“I do believe it’s very important for everybody to stay engaged in this process and think about the use determination, the landfill determination and the PFR determination, separate from the solid waste permitting process. I believe we have more influence over the solid waste permitting process than we would necessarily ever have over the use decision,” Horner said. “We have the opportunity, as directed by the board, to engage in that process, and that’s where we’re going to work with the community and the task force to help negotiate through that process with Dominion.”

Bailey said she called the meeting, with more meetings to come, to keep residents informed.

“There are different angles to this enormous problem,” Bailey said. “We didn’t ask for a coal ash problem, but the reason why I’m having this meeting tonight, in partnership with the county, is because we want to keep you updated as to what is going on. You deserve to have an update. You deserve to have your questions answered, and you deserve to have the problem solved. I know that this problem is not going to resolve overnight. We cannot sweep it under the rug. My interest is to protect this community.”

Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chair at-Large Ann Wheeler told the people who attended the meeting that the board was committed to the “health and safety of our families, our friends, the land and the waterways.”

Meeting schedules for additional public information and comment will be announced as details become available.