Closing a coal-fired power plant solves air quality problems, but leaves behind other pollution problems. Last month a flash flood washed 2,700 cubic yards of coal ash from the retired Rocky Mountain Power Carbon Power Plant into the Price River.
The Utah Division of Environmental Quality says the spill “wasn’t as bad as it could have been.” Rocky Mountain Power has promised to cap the enormous ash pile which is located in a narrow canyon.
However, there is still a danger of future water contamination: According to HEAL Utah and the Utah Sierra Club, Rocky Mountain Power continues to mishandle coal ash at the nearby Huntington power plant which is still in operation. They have filed a lawsuit.