Indian River Power Plant has 28 groundwater monitoring wells, 16 of which have been polluted above federal advisory levels based on samples collected between April 19, 2010 and October 23, 2019. Groundwater at this site contains unsafe levels of manganese, sulfate, boron, cobalt, arsenic, lithium, molybdenum, beryllium, selenium and mercury.
Site descriptionThe Indian River Power Plant is a 410-MW coal-fired plant located near Millsboro, Delaware in Sussex County along the Indian River. The facility was first built in 1957 and had four coal-fired units at its peak, with two units retired in 2013 and a third retired in 2014. NRG had scheduled the fourth unit to be retired by June 2022, but regional grid manager PJM has recommended that the last unit remain operational until 2026. Upon commissioning, the plant disposed of its coal ash waste on Burton Island, east of the power plant. Berms were built using ash and dredge spoils on Burton Island, resulting in an elevation of the ground surface by about 15 feet, and the conversion of tidal marshes and flats to land made of coal ash contaminated with heavy metals. In 1980, Indian River Power Plant built a landfill on the mainland to dispose of waste and ceased disposal on Burton Island.
You can find the industry-reported data here. For more information on the Indian River Power Plant, see EIP’s 2019 National Coal Ash Report.