A new study has found arsenic and cadmium levels in the Mobile River near Alabama Power’s Plant Barry that are comparable to — and in some cases higher than — those measured after the 2008 Kingston coal-ash spill in Tennessee, the largest industrial spill of its kind in U.S. history.

The peer-reviewed study, published in Science of the Total Environment, was led by researchers Natasha T. Dimova and Stephen Anderson of the University of Alabama, along with Dini Adyasari of Texas A&M University. The team set out to identify “sources of heavy metal pollution in suspended sediments and surface water in the Mobile River near the Plant Barry ash pond.”

“Prior to our study, there was limited seasonal testing of heavy metal levels in the area of the Plant Barry coal-ash pond,” said Dimova, who served as principal investigator. “Our results show that near the coal power plant’s discharge channel, during the dry season, arsenic and cadmium levels in suspended sediments are close to those found at Kingston after the 2008 spill. Our goal is to raise awareness about this issue and to protect ‘North America’s Amazon.’”

Coal ash is the gray, powdery waste left after coal is burned to produce electricity. Power plants often store this waste in large ponds, adding water to keep the ash from spreading, because it has historically been the cheapest and easiest way to manage it. However, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, unlined coal ash ponds like the one at Plant Barry can allow toxic metals to seep into groundwater and pose serious risks if containment walls fail or floods occur.

Arsenic and cadmium are toxic heavy metals with wide-ranging health impacts. Arsenic exposure has been linked to cancer, heart disease, diabetes and skin lesions, while cadmium is known to damage kidneys and weaken bones, among other effects.

The Kingston disaster, which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has described as releasing more than 1 billion gallons of coal-ash, contaminated hundreds of acres and two rivers and is believed to have contributed to approximately 50 deaths and 250-plus illnesses related to toxic exposure from cleanup efforts, according to reporting at the time from Tennessee-local news.

Plant Barry, which has operated since the 1960s, stores more than 21 million tons of coal-ash in an unlined pond along the Mobile River. Alabama Power has proposed closing the site “in place” by draining and treating water, covering the dried ash and reinforcing dikes. Environmental groups argue that leaving the ash in a floodplain puts the river and surrounding communities at risk.

In 2022, the Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of Mobile Baykeeper, sued Alabama Power over its closure plan. That lawsuit, now on appeal in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, claims the plan violates federal coal-ash rules enacted in 2015. Oral arguments for the appeal took place Sept. 18.

In 2023, the EPA also issued a notice that Alabama Power had “potentially violated” those federal standards.

Alabama Power said in 2024 it intends to recycle some of the ash from Plant Barry, though details remain unclear and no binding plan has been announced. Meanwhile, Georgia Power, a sister company, has already committed to recycling 65 million tons of coal-ash and removing it entirely from its coastal sites.

“The community has made it clear: they want all of the coal-ash at Plant Barry removed,” said Cade Kistler of Mobile Baykeeper. “Alabama Power’s public statements aren’t enough. We want to see a real, binding commitment to remove all the ash.”

Gabriella Chavez is a Report for America corps member who writes about growth and development in Baldwin County and our natural spaces for Gulf Coast Media. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://tinyurl.com/yaf8yf5n.