ATLANTA – State Representative Mary Frances Williams (D-Marietta) today introduced a House Resolution urging Georgia Power to remove all buried and unburied coal ash piles from Plant McDonough and place it in a lined landfill. Plant McDonough, owned by Georgia Power, is located in Cobb County on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, and there is 6.3 million tons of coal ash at the plant.
“I was shocked to learn that there is 6.3 million tons of coal ash at a power plant in Cobb County,” said Rep. Mary Frances Williams, who represents parts of the City of Marietta and Cobb County. “Given the plant’s proximity to the Chattahoochee River, I was astonished and upset to learn about plans for the handling of the coal ash. This is dangerous stuff.”
This coal ash is being placed into unlined pits at the site, exposing the substance to groundwater in a location that is approximately 700 feet from the Chattahoochee River. Rep. Williams contends that the safer method would be to remove and dispose of the coal ash in lined landfills sufficiently distant from lakes and rivers.
“We’re only asking that safer methods used at other power plants in Georgia be used here in Cobb County,” added Rep. Williams. “Coal ash from other plants in Georgia is being removed and put into lined pits, and Cobb County’s citizens deserve the same protection. Further, the citizens in Cobb County, and those in communities downstream the Chattahoochee from us, deserve safe, uncontaminated water. This is too important to ignore.”
Coal ash, the remains of coal burning in power plants, contains hazardous pollutants that can cause cancer, developmental disorders and neurological damage and is also harmful to fish and wildlife. According to self-reported data from Georgia Power required by a 2015 federal CCR (Coal Combustion Residual) rule, the groundwater at Plant McDonough is contaminated with coal ash pollutants and unsafe. Multiple wells owned and operated on the Plant property show hazardous levels of arsenic, beryllium, boron, cobalt, lithium, radium and selenium.
Representative Mary Frances Williams represents the citizens of District 37, which includes portions of Cobb County. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018 and currently serves on the Governmental Affairs, Natural Resources & Environment and State Properties committees.
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