CCR Compliance at Turk
In 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a new rule addressing the handling, storage and disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCRs). CCRs are the materials that remain after coal is burned.
The landfill at Turk Plant is included in the CCR monitoring program.
Turk Plant has dry handling systems for both its fly ash and bottom ash. The ash is stored in a lined landfill.
We strive to take advantage of opportunities to beneficially reuse as much CCR material as possible. For details, please see the AEP Impact Report.
September 2019
Southwestern Electric Power Company continues groundwater monitoring activities around Turk Plant’s coal ash storage sites. We analyze this data relative to EPA groundwater protection standards.
Analysis of this data by an independent third party indicates that these coal ash storage sites are not impacting groundwater quality.
We will continue groundwater monitoring at the Turk Plant and will provide an update if we detect any samples above the EPA standards.
March 2018
SWEPCO took a series of groundwater samples at the landfill site. We took some samples before the groundwater passed beneath the ash storage site. (The reports refer to this as up-gradient.) We took other samples after it passed beneath the site (down-gradient). We used the data to establish baseline levels for 21 different substances in the groundwater. Moving forward, we will use these baselines to help determine if our ash storage sites are impacting the groundwater.
It is important to remember that variations in the level of these substances in groundwater are natural and occur for many reasons.
The initial data at Turk Plant did not show any potential groundwater impacts from this storage site.
We proactively reached out and met with plant neighbors and community leaders to answer questions about the data collected so far and to discuss next steps.
November 2018
The CCR rule established location restrictions for coal ash storage sites. It requires that storage site locations be evaluated regarding proximity to groundwater aquifers, wetlands, fault areas, seismic zones and unstable areas (example: presence of quicksand).
AEP and SWEPCO recently completed the required review of location restrictions for Turk Plant’s landfill. This review found that landfill at Turk Plant meets all location restrictions.
SWEPCO will continue to monitor the landfill twice each year as required by the CCR rule.