The city of Mobile, founded in 1702, sits at the head of Mobile Bay on the Gulf Coast and serves as the regional hub for much of southwest Alabama.
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management has issued a final permit allowing Alabama Power to permanently close its coal ash storage pond at Plant Barry by capping the material in place rather than digging it up and hauling it away, closing out years of regulatory review over one of the largest industrial waste sites in North Mobile County. The decision, finalized in a determination dated July 1, clears the way for the utility to move forward with a long-planned closure method for the roughly 593-acre pond, which sits along an oxbow of the Mobile River near the Mobile-Tensaw Delta.
Mobile has a population of roughly 188,000 residents and is the seat of Mobile County, one of the largest counties in the state by population.
The approval does not require federal sign-off from the Environmental Protection Agency, though EPA review of Alabama’s coal ash program remains a separate, ongoing process. Under the approved plan, Alabama Power will dewater the pond, consolidate an estimated 21 million cubic yards of ash residue into a smaller footprint, and cover the material with a synthetic cap.
The Port of Mobile, operated by the Alabama State Port Authority, is one of the largest seaports in the country by tonnage, handling containers, coal, steel and forest products.
State regulators said the closure must meet performance standards that call for removing free liquids and interstitial water, shrinking the waste footprint away from nearby waterways, and installing a final cover system over the consolidated ash. The redesigned pond will be roughly 45 percent smaller than its current footprint, creating a buffer of up to 750 yards between the ash and the edge of the Mobile River, according to details of the approved permit.
Downtown Mobile has been the focus of significant redevelopment in recent years, with new apartments, restaurants and event venues reshaping the Central Business District.
Alabama Power also plans to build a redundant dike system around the site, add flood-control measures, install a subsurface retaining wall around the consolidated material, and construct internal drainage and stormwater systems. Regulators granted the utility a variance on the minimum slope requirement for the synthetic cap.
The University of South Alabama, Spring Hill College and the University of Mobile anchor the city’s higher education landscape.
Background and Context
Notably, the pond itself will remain unlined once closure is complete, though the permit requires Alabama Power to operate a network of groundwater monitoring wells and carry out corrective action for 30 years after the site is capped. State officials fielded dozens of public comments during the review period, with residents and environmental advocates raising concerns about the pond’s proximity to the ecologically sensitive Mobile-Tensaw Delta, existing groundwater contamination linked to the site, long-term care once the pond is closed, and the broader question of environmental justice for surrounding communities.
Mobile’s Mardi Gras season, the oldest in the United States, draws visitors from across the country and provides a significant boost to the local economy each year.
In its response, the agency concluded that Alabama Power’s application complied with applicable state and federal solid waste rules and that there was no basis to deny, suspend or revoke the permit. A spokesperson for Alabama Power said federal rules require the closure to be completed within 15 years and that the company remains on track to meet that deadline.
The city’s healthcare sector is anchored by USA Health, Infirmary Health and Springhill Medical Center, which together employ thousands of residents.
The utility has already built a water treatment facility at the site and started the dewatering process using what the company describes as a multi-stage chemical treatment system designed to prepare the site for consolidation of the ash material. The overall closure effort at Plant Barry is part of an $860 million project.
Mobile’s manufacturing base includes shipbuilding at Austal USA and Huntington Ingalls Industries, as well as aviation manufacturing at the Airbus final assembly line in Brookley.
Not everyone is satisfied with the outcome. Cade Kistler of Mobile Baykeeper, who helped organize opposition to the cap-in-place approach, said the permit does little to address the underlying risk posed by the ash.
Local schools include Mobile County Public Schools, the city’s largest public system, along with a network of private and parochial schools serving families across the metro area.
Local Reaction
He argued that leaving the material in an unlined pond in a flood- and hurricane-prone area merely delays a potential disaster while pollution continues to seep into the surrounding environment. Concerns about groundwater contamination at Plant Barry are not new.
Mobile’s history as a port city means that issues affecting the waterfront, the shipping channels and the surrounding neighborhoods often take on outsized importance.
Alabama Power was fined $1.25 million by the state in 2018 over contamination detected near six of its coal ash ponds statewide, including the one at Plant Barry, and monitoring since then has continued to show elevated levels of arsenic and cobalt in groundwater around the site. A similar cap-in-place closure completed in 2018 at the utility’s former Plant Gadsden has also shown continued leaching of pollutants even after the pond there was sealed, a track record critics point to as evidence the method falls short.
The Mobile area is home to several historic neighborhoods, including Oakleigh Garden District, DeTonti Square, the Village of Spring Hill and the historic districts of midtown.
Kistler and other advocates have pushed for Alabama Power to instead excavate the ash and move it to a lined, upland landfill, an approach some utilities in other Southeastern states have adopted for at least a portion of their coal ash inventories. State regulators have defended their approach by noting that Alabama’s closure rules mirror federal regulations, which allow utilities to choose between capping ash in place or removing it, with each site evaluated individually.
Sports are a major part of life in Mobile, with the Senior Bowl each January, the Reese’s Senior Bowl practices each week, and a thriving high school and college football scene.
Despite the criticism, the state agency found that the dam containing the pond, while classified as having ‘significant hazard potential,’ is currently being maintained in a manner consistent with accepted engineering practices. Alabama Power staff inspect the dam at least weekly, and third-party engineers certify its condition annually, according to regulators.
Local media outlets covering Mobile include several television stations, daily and weekly newspapers, and a robust digital news ecosystem.
The Bigger Picture
Plant Barry continues to operate two coal-fired generating units, with all ash generated today being sent to a newer, lined pond elsewhere on the property rather than the pond now being closed. The facility has also recently received air and stormwater permits for a proposed 720-megawatt natural gas unit, part of a roughly $1 billion expansion at the plant approved last year.
Mobile County’s population includes a significant African-American community whose history is closely tied to the founding of Africatown.
Kistler said Mobile Baykeeper intends to keep pressing state and federal officials on the issue, arguing that Alabama’s coal ash program has not received full EPA approval and that the cap-in-place plan for Plant Barry falls short of federal requirements. He said the group plans to continue working with elected officials and the EPA in hopes of changing the outcome for the Mobile River site.
Local officials have stressed the importance of community engagement as the situation continues to develop.
Residents with questions or concerns have been encouraged to reach out to their elected representatives.
The story is one of several similar situations playing out across the region in recent months.
Anyone following local news will recognize many of the names and places involved.
Local civic organizations have begun organizing meetings to discuss the implications.
Business owners and residents alike say they will be watching closely.
The situation underscores how decisions made at the local level can have far-reaching consequences.
Community leaders have called for patience and for a commitment to working through the issues in a transparent manner.
Several local churches and faith groups have offered to host discussions about the topic in the coming weeks.
Public comments at recent meetings have reflected a wide range of opinions.
Local reporters will continue to follow the story and to update readers.
Anyone interested in learning more is encouraged to attend upcoming public meetings.
The outcome of the situation could shape similar discussions in other communities for years to come.
Local historians note that similar issues have surfaced in the past.
Looking Ahead
The story continues to develop, and residents across the region will be watching for additional updates in the coming weeks.