Sep. 29--A partially unlined slate quarry being filled with coal waste in Bangor has not contaminated the groundwater, the site's owner said Monday, but residents expressed concern about the future."I want to know what's under there and I want to know what we have to worry about," said Jim Merklinger of Washington Township, one of a few residents at a Borough Council workshop.

RRI Energy dumps coal ash generated at its power plant in Upper Mount Bethel Township into the 15-acre quarry, which is unlined at its base.

A surface liner was installed in 1999 at the site, east of Route 512 near East Bangor, and waste since has been placed on top of that liner.

A 2007 draft report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the first time outlined the dangers of coal waste to humans and the environment, specifically waste discarded in unlined landfills.

In May, two national environmental groups cited the EPA study and said the Bangor ash site posed a risk to area groundwater.

But Stephen Davies, director of solid waste for RRI, said the new liner and a system to prevent rainwater from reaching the ash is preventing contamination. State environmental officials have noted no problems at the site, inspected nine times since 1997, according to online compliance records.

The company also monitors six groundwater wells and three surface water locations on a quarterly basis, Davies said, and none has shown any contamination. Most of the borough is served by public water, not wells, said Mayor Joseph Capozzolo.

"It's fair to say there will be contact with groundwater if you go down deep enough," Davies said, " and the only way to make sure there's not a problem is to monitor the groundwater."

Residents also raised concerns about ash blowing on dry, windy days during the weekends when the site is not in operation. Davies said an employee will check the dryness of the ash on Sundays to determine if weekend wetting is necessary.

"I firmly believe that they're going to help us solve this problem," said council President Craig Roberts.

Coal ash contains heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, selenium, zinc, copper and aluminum that pose significant health risks, most notably cancer, should they leach into drinking water. Few federal regulations govern the storage or disposal of the waste, but the EPA expects to propose new rules by the end of this year.

The presence of coal ash in the Lehigh Valley became widely known in 2005 when 60 million gallons of water, much of it contaminated with coal ash, spilled from PPL's power plant in Lower Mount Bethel Township into the Delaware River.

A $1.5 million settlement for the spill was completed last year. A long-term assessment of the ecological damage to the river, and any associated fines, has yet to be finished.

christopher.baxter@mcall.com

610-778-2283

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