Sutton Power Station near Wilmington, N.C. (Duke Energy/AP)Floodwaters breached a dam near a Duke Energy power plant Friday, the company said, and material from an adjacent toxic coal ash basin has flowed into the nearby Cape Fear River. Sutton power plant near Wilmington have been growing since before Hurricane Florence made landfall. Coal ash is what is left over after coal is burned in a power plant, and it contains heavy metals including arsenic, lead, mercury and chromium. “Cenospheres are the lightest form of coal ash,” said Harrison, who is temporarily based in North Carolina. In recent years, the company has been moving coal ash from waste ponds to more secure, lined landfills.

Source: Washington Post September 21, 2018 16:38 UTC