Duke Energy shut down a power plant in Wilmington, N.C., on Friday after a dam on a lake at the site breached, allowing hazardous coal ash into the nearby Cape Fear River, the company said. The Cape Fear River supplies drinking water to much of the southeastern part of the state. It was not immediately clear how much ash was moving into the river. Because the spill stems from large-scale flooding over a wide area, it’s difficult to calculate how much ash is entering the river. Coal ash is the powdery substance that remains after burning coal.

Source: New York Times September 21, 2018 17:06 UTC