Martins Creek Power Plant has 17 groundwater monitoring wells, 15 of which have been polluted above federal advisory levels based on samples collected between February 14, 2012 and January 13, 2016. Groundwater at this site contains unsafe levels of boron and nitrate.
Site descriptionMartins Creek Power Plant is a 1,700 MW power plant located in Northhampton County, PA, along the Delaware River. The plant, formerly operated by Pennsylvania Power & Light, is now operated by Talen Energy, a PPL spinoff. Martin Creek's 2 coal-fired units began operation in the mid 1950s and were shut down in 2007 and is now fueled by natural gas and oil.
In 2005, a containment basin at Martins Creek Power plant burst and spilled about 100 million gallons of fly ash and water into the Delaware River, Oughoughton Creek, and nearby fields, leading Talen Energy to agree to settlements of over $1 million for environmental damages and restoration. In 2012, the US EPA identified Martins Creek as a location where coal ash has been proven to contaminate ground or surface water at levels which threaten human health and the environment.