Renner Barsella, renner.barsella@sierraclub.org, 217-390-9394
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Recent tests conducted by the Sierra Club have shown that drinking water is contaminated in neighborhoods around Consumers Energy's J.H. Campbell Coal Plant in West Olive. Results found elevated levels of arsenic, lead, and radium in homes that draw their water from private wells. Further investigation is needed to determine if groundwater contamination is spreading from the nearby coal ash ponds, where Consumers has found similar groundwater pollution. Pollution experts and residents from the impacted community announced the results of the water testing at a press conference Tuesday.
“For the last two winters, I have been undergoing treatment for high levels of arsenic, Mercury and lead in my body. When I’m out of town, my levels are fine, but after several months back at my home in West Olive, my toxin levels begin climbing back up. If dangerous toxins are being found in our water and air, we need to know where it’s coming from. Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy, the EPA, and Consumers Energy need to do more testing. Consumers Energy needs to clean up its toxic coal ash,” said Dr Paul Keck, West Olive Community Member.
Sierra Club tested water from four homes near the Campbell plant in West Olive in July. One home had arsenic levels 2.5 times the safe level for drinking water, as well as elevated levels of lead and barium. A second home tested positive for barium and radium. A third house showed no contaminants. A fourth home showed levels of arsenic and lead, but they did not exceed safe drinking water limits. Because groundwater pollution can migrate and move, further testing is needed of more homes in the area to determine where and how the contaminants are entering people's drinking water.
Coal plants produce a toxic by-product called coal ash that contains mercury, lead, arsenic and other harmful heavy metals. Of the 22 coal ash sites with publically available groundwater monitoring data for 2017, Michigan Environmental Council’s review showed that 77% of them had leached toxic chemicals like arsenic and lead into groundwater at levels that exceed state and federal drinking water standards. The Campbell power plant, near where the water testing was done, has 4 coal ash pits, none of which have a liner to protect groundwater. As of last year, we have been told Consumers no longer dumps coal ash into these pits, but without remediation, leeching from unlined pits scattered throughout their property can continue indefinitely.
Charlotte Jameson, Energy Policy and Legislative Affairs Director for the Michigan Environmental Council added, “Utilities dump wet coal ash into unlined pits next to their plants, which results in toxins from this sludge seeping into the groundwater. 2017 and 2018 groundwater monitoring results demonstrate that all of the coal ash pits at Campbell have contaminated groundwater above safe drinking water standards for heavy metals including arsenic, thallium, and selenium. The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy should fully investigate area wells to ensure that toxic groundwater from the Campbell coal ash pits isn’t polluting nearby drinking water.”
Advocates are urging Consumers Energy and Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to investigate water wells near the Campbell plant with further testing. Sierra Club has run a billboard highlighting this issue near Grand Valley State University, where Consumers CEO Patti Poppe is scheduled to speak at an event on Wednesday.
Dr Steven Ashmead, Board Certified Family Physician & member of Physicians for Social Responsibility said, “As a medical professional, I cannot emphasize enough the dangers of allowing these toxins to go unaddressed in water tapped by drinking wells. Long-term exposure to arsenic from drinking water can cause cancer and has been associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Toxins like arsenic and lead are especially detrimental to the developmental health of children with impacts that can be lifelong. Action must be taken to confirm the source of this contamination and protect the community’s groundwater.”
Jan O’Connell with Sierra Club’s Michigan Chapter said, “The only way to truly protect our water from dangerous toxic coal pollution is to commit to a swifter transition to clean energy and the cleanup of toxic sites like the coal ash in West Olive. Right now, Consumers Energy plans to continue operating the J.H. Campbell plant until 2040. West Michigan citizens shouldn’t have to wait until 2040 for clean air and water. Tomorrow, Consumers Energy CEO Patti Poppe will take the stage here at GVSU to talk about sustainable business. I hope that she addresses concerns about Campbell’s coal ash problems and will recognize a need for a shorter timeline to move beyond coal.”
Images from announcement and details of water testing results available for use upon request to mike.berkowitz@sierraclub.org
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.