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Thursday, January 22, 2009

W.Va. coal-ash dam inspections sporadic at best

"Most of the coal-ash impoundments in West Virginia haven't been examined by a state dam safety inspector for at least five years, according to data released by the state Department of Environmental Protection," reports Ken Ward Jr. of The Charleston Gazette. "Some of the facilities have gone more than 20 years without a government inspection, according to the DEP data."

Under federal and state strip-mine laws, coal-slurry impoundments require inspection by government officials monthly. Coal-ash dumps are a different story. Under the federal strip-mine law, they are exempt from monthly inspections. According to state data 14 of West Virginia's coal-ash dams have been inspected within the last two years but only six of the 16 have been inpsected by state the state in the last decade. State law only requires periodic inspections by engineers hired by the owners of the dams.

Ward writes, "Brian Long, longtime chief of the DEP's dam safety section, said state law requires coal-ash dams to meet the same stability and stormwater retention standards as coal-slurry dams." (Read more)

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