Largest U.S. Coal Ash Pond to Close

National Geographic reports on the closure of “Little Blue Run,” the largest coal ash pond in the United States. The 1,700-acre site does not have any geosynthetic lining system and has operated since 1974. Groundwater testing near the site has discovered that arsenic, sulfates, and chlorides have leached into the water from the coal ash reservoir. The United States still has no official policy on coal ash management, though the 1.1 billion gallons that spilled from an unlined Kingston, Tennessee facility in 2008 put the issue of coal ash regulation in the public eye and organizations such as the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) have helped inform environmental agencies and policymakers on the how geosynthetic lining systems protect municipal solid waste facilities and could protect coal ash storage too.