Hatfield's Ferry Power Station has 14 groundwater monitoring wells, 14 of which have been polluted above federal advisory levels based on samples collected between May 13, 2010 and March 08, 2016. Groundwater at this site contains unsafe levels of sulfate, manganese, boron, arsenic, molybdenum, antimony, nitrate, nickel, selenium, chromium, lead and cadmium.
Site descriptionThe Hatfield's Ferry Power Station disposes of its ash waste in an un-lined 40 acre landfill near the Little Whitely Creek in southwest Pennsylvania. The landfill has been contaminating one of the creek's tributaries for almost ten years, threatening the safety of private drinking water wells in the area. In 2008, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued a Consent Order and Agreement requiring Allegheny Energy to implement a corrective action plan and pay civil penalties of more than $20,000. In July 2013 FirstEnergy announced that it would be deactivating the plant by the end of 2013. The company said, however, that the landfill may stay open and accept waste from other facilities. In 2012, the EPA identified Hatfield's Ferry as a location where coal ash disposal activities have been proven to contaminate ground and surface water.
For more about information about Hatfield's Ferry, see In Harm's Way and this damage case report.