SATSUMA, Ala. — Alabama Power held a public meeting Tuesday in Satsuma to discuss its plans for permanently closing the coal ash ponds at Plant Barry, the company’s coal-fired generating station on the Mobile River near Bucks.
Under the plan outlined at the meeting, the utility said it would treat and remove all water from the ponds, then excavate the remaining coal ash and relocate it at least 750 yards away from nearby waterways. The company also said the footprint of the ponds would be reduced by roughly 45 percent.
Years of scrutiny
Coal ash — the residue left after coal is burned to generate electricity — contains heavy metals including arsenic, mercury and selenium that can leach into groundwater if stored in unlined ponds. Environmental groups have long raised concerns about the proximity of Plant Barry’s ash storage to the Mobile River and the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, one of the largest river delta systems in the United States.
The closure plan presented at the Satsuma meeting represented the company’s stated approach to addressing those concerns, though environmental advocates have continued to push for full excavation and removal of all ash from the site rather than any partial measures.
Plant Barry, located in northern Mobile County, has operated since the 1950s and has been one of the focal points of coal ash storage debates in Alabama.