by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Duke Energy, the electric utility serving most of Hamilton County, is taking steps to make certain that chemicals from its coal ash holding pit do not contaminate wells of residences in the Riverwood area. Public Service Indiana, the predecessor of Duke Energy, operated a generating plant at Riverwood for many years. The plant was converted from coal to natural gas for generating electric power about 20 years ago.

The ash from the burned coal was stored on site and has remained there since the conversion to gas. Hamilton County Health Department Director Barry McNulty said Duke took it upon themselves to deal with the coal ash to head off any contamination threat. Working with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), Duke has been working on the project for several years.

The project involves the drilling of de-watering wells around the ash storage site. The water from these wells is monitored and to date has shown no underground leaching that would create problems for neighboring properties, McNulty learned.

The water from these test wells will now be discharged into nearby White River. This discharge plan apparently created concern recently on the part of some residents, but the water has been judged completely safe by IDEM, and will continue to be monitored.

The county health department, not involved in the operation, has been made aware of all plans as a courtesy, McNulty said. Meanwhile, Duke is in the process of capping the ash pit in the way a landfill is covered.