James F. Crist Generating Plant has 32 groundwater monitoring wells, 12 of which have been polluted above federal advisory levels based on samples collected between October 10, 2011 and March 16, 2015. Groundwater at this site contains unsafe levels of arsenic, mercury, sulfate, manganese and cadmium.
Site descriptionGulf Power Company's James. F. Crist Generating Plant began operating in Pensacola, Florida in 1959. The plant generates 970 MW of electricity and sits at the mouth of the Escambia River on Governor's Bayou. Several coal ash disposal areas are associated with the power plant, including an ash landfill, an active ash pond, closed ash ponds, an interim landfill, and two gypsum storage areas. The ash landfill, ash pond, and closed ash ponds are unlined.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assessed the hazard potential of the CCW impoundments at Crist, but as of March 2015, the results of the investigation were withheld as confidential business information.
For more information about Crist Electric Generating Plant and its coal ash impoundments, see EIP's 2010 report Risky Business and visit SoutheastCoalAsh.org.