14 DAY TRIAL // In the aftermath of ever stricter legislations dealing with air quality, several power plants in the US have been forced to see to it that the amounts of harmful emission they release into the atmosphere are cut down to a considerable extent.
Interestingly enough, a new study only recently published in the journal Environment Science & Technology argues that, although significant progress has thus been made, these power plants continue to pollute the environment.
The only difference is that, whereas up until recently they mainly impacted on air quality, their working agenda must now be held responsible for contaminating various water sources.
Environmental Leader informs us that, according to a report made public by researchers working with the North Carolina Water Resources Research Institute, noteworthy doses of arsenic, selenium and similarly harmful chemical compounds have been found in 11 lakes and rivers located in the proximity of coal-fired power plants.
Thus, concerns have been raised with respect to the water sources people in North Carolina rely on both for drinking, and for recreational purposes.
More precisely, effluents flowing in the Mountain Island Lake, together with the Hyco and Mayo lakes, have been found to be significantly contaminated.
The specialists who have looked into this issue explain their findings as follows: it may very well be that various technologies allow workers to remove most of the particulates typically found in the emissions produced by these facilities, yet the fact remains that whatever gets collected in this manner eventually reaches the environment in the form of solid waste and wastewater.
“The impact of CCRs [coal combustion residue] is long-term, which influences contaminant accumulation and the health of aquatic life in water associated with coal-fired power plants,” explains the report.
Hopefully, the US Environmental Protection Agency will take appropriate measures and see to it that this problem is dealt with as soon as possible.