Pittsburgh, PA — The Sierra Club with local residents delivered a water sample from the Allegheny River to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today urging them to update expired water permits for 11 coal-fired power plants in the state, including the Cheswick plant. In addition to the event, the Sierra Club filed suit against the DEP today for failing to update the coal plants’ permits in a timely manner.
The Cheswick coal-fired power plant has been consistently burning coal since 1970 and releases at least 30 different pollutants into the water, many of them toxic heavy metals. Only a couple of these toxins are limited with the current permit and with more than 300,000 people getting their water from Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA), which takes in water downstream of the Cheswick power plant, it’s time to protect Pennsylvanians’ drinking water.
Learn more at: http://content.sierraclub.org/coal/cheswick
In response, Pittsburgh Lead Action Now, the Sierra Club, a local resident and Three Rivers Waterkeeper said:
“As a citizen organizer around the issue of lead in our drinking water, I would like to see coal plants complying with the most up to date federal regulations. We know that in 2015 alone the Cheswick plant, which is just up-river from the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority’s main intake pipe, dumped 387 pounds of lead into the Allegheny River. Additionally, the plant is dumping bromides into our rivers. Increased corrosion of pipes and thus increased lead leaching into our water can be an unintended consequence when water treatment facilities try to treat water that harbors bromides,” Beth Shaaban, Co-founder, Pittsburgh Lead Action Now said. “Lead can cause serious and permanent health consequences especially to expectant mothers and young children. While we work to help our city address lead in our drinking water, we must move to stop pollution of our rivers with these metals and chemicals.”
“Coal-fired power plants have impacts in both the communities in which they operate, and the world at large. Their lead, selenium, and mercury pollutes our rivers and streams, and their carbon dioxide causes massive climate disruption around the world. It is illegal and irresponsible for Governor Wolf and the DEP to allow these plants to continue to operate with outdated and expired permits,” Patrick Grenter, Senior Campaign Representative with the Beyond Coal campaign of the Sierra Club said. “Each day the DEP waits could mean another case of contaminated drinking water for Pennsylvania residents. DEP must meet its most fundamental responsibilities to the public and issue updated permits for the 11 coal plants around the state immediately.”
“As a mom-to-be who lives downstream of this plant, it's horrifying to me what my unborn baby may have been exposed to already,” Laura Jacko, Verona resident and expecting mom said. “Due to actions by plants like this, my husband and I are looking into purchasing a whole house water filtration system at great personal expense just so that our baby can have safe water. It's ridiculous we have to do something like that to keep our baby safe, when this plant is the one that's causing the dangerous conditions. It's time they at least play by the rules - the rest of us have to!”
“Across the country, 45 percent of waterways that receive coal plant wastewater, including the Allegheny River, are contaminated with high levels of heavy metals or other harmful pollutants,” Rob Walters, Executive Director, Three Rivers Waterkeeper. “Toxic pollutants such as selenium cause mutations and reproductive failure in fish. The Cheswick plant discharges selenium at levels ten times higher than what an updated permit would allow. DEP must act to reduce this illegal pollution stream immediately.”
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