Advocates Call for Springfield’s Toxic Coal Ash Landfill Closure

Springfield, MO - At today’s Springfield Board of Public Utilities meeting, representatives from Sierra Club called on City Utilities (CU) to close its coal ash landfill at the John Twitty power plant, citing the utility’s inability to effectively monitor groundwater beneath the landfill.  A representative from Mom’s Clean Air Force also presented on the risks coal ash contamination poses to human health, particularly children’s health.

“As a physician, I am concerned about the dangerous conditions under which coal ash is being disposed of at the John Twitty Energy Center (JTEC) in southwest Springfield on fragile karst terrain,” said Dr. Judy Dasovich, physician, Springfield resident and chair of the Sierra Club’s White River Group.  “City Utilities should stop pretending there is some magic technology that will allow for safe disposal of coal ash in karst terrain with effective monitoring for toxic pollutants. We call on City Utilities to shut down this dangerous landfill now.”

The groups cited CU’s ongoing failure [link] to implement a groundwater monitoring program for the landfill that meets state and federal requirements, a problem caused by the fact that Springfield, and the Twitty plant, are located in “karst” terrain.  Karst occurs where rock - typically limestone - is easily dissolved, leading to the formation of caves, sinkholes, springs, and other unique features. Testing performed by CU has repeatedly shown that contaminants from the landfill would quickly move offsite and impact nearby springs and Wilson’s Creek long before it shows up in CU’s monitoring wells, if it is detected by the wells at all.    

“The toxic metals in coal ash include arsenic, lead, cadmium, chromium, and mercury among others,” said Kay Mills, Springfield resident and Missouri Field Organizer for Moms Clean Air Force. “And as with most things, children are especially vulnerable to the effects of coal ash toxins and can have serious, long term health consequences if exposed.  We need a safe and long-term solution to our coal-ash problem.  The health and safety of our children depend on it.”

The groups presented on the risks toxic coal ash poses to the public, and how CU has spent over $2.5 million since 2011 in a futile attempt to establish a groundwater monitoring program.  The groups also called on CU to stop wasting ratepayers’ money on the failed landfill and continue to move to clean sources of energy that do not generate coal ash.

The organizations also presented on Missouri DNR’s strong concerns, stated repeatedly over many years over the inability to monitor groundwater beneath the landfill.  In March 2017, DNR told CU that the agency “...has serious concerns with the inability of City Utilities to demonstrate the ability to effectively monitor the groundwater beneath and surrounding the existing landfill effectively…(f)urther operation of this landfill could easily be harmful to protection of groundwater in that portion of Greene County.”

“The problem is clear and so is the answer,” concluded Jennifer Conner, Ozarks Conservation Program Coordinator for the Missouri Sierra Club. “The DNR has told City Utilities that this landfill could easily harm the groundwater. There is reason to think it may have done so already. To abide by the law and to protect the citizens of Southwest Missouri, City Utilities must close this toxic landfill now."