Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton The Department of Environmental Protection has released a second draft permit for the Warren Generating Station in Starbrick. Concerns over radioactivity and coal ash disposal from many members of the community prompted DEP to redraw the permit.

The Department of Environmental Protection has released a second draft permit for the Warren Generating Station in Starbrick.

While DEP says an “in-person public information session” can’t be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a “Frequently Asked Question webpage” has been crafted “to address the various public concerns.”

That website can be found at www.dep.pa.gov/About/Regional/NorthwestRegion/Community-Information/Pages/Warren-Generating-Station.aspx

The draft was sent to business and local government entities as well as the myriad people who commented on the first draft, including some environmental coalition groups and roughly 180 individuals.

The site, while largely closed, includes an ash landfill from decades of coal-fired electricity generation. Some of the compounds from the coal ash leach out with stormwater at the site, are treated on-site and then discharged into the Allegheny River. The permit has been in place since 1976.

Concerns about coal ash discharge into the Allegheny River and potential radioactive elements at the site, however, prompted DEP to go back to the drawing board and draft a second proposed permit and address those public comments.

“The draft NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit includes more stringent monitoring requirements such as including the addition of Oil and Grease effluent limits as well as monitoring for Total Nickel and Chloride,” per DEP. “Monitoring for these parameters was not required in previous NPDES permits for this discharge.”

A fact sheet included in the permit application explains the scope of the permit and directly responds to those public concerns.

“DEP understands that citizens are concerned about the impact of wastewater discharges on our natural resources,” they state, explaining that the coal-fired power plant has “not been active for over a decade.”

“Coal ash is no longer generated at this facility and there are no plans to bring coal ash in from other facilities and/or sources,” the document states. “However, the landfill continues to generate ‘leachate.'”

DEP defined leachate as a liquid with suspended or dissolved components “that has percolated through or drained from solid waste.” An underground collection system contains the leachate which is then treated “to remove contaminants and be in compliance with the federal Clean Water Act and state Clean Streams Law.”

The site has been permitted for this discharge since March 15, 1976.

But will coal ash be dumped in the river?

“Coal ash will not be dumped into the Allegheny River under this NPDES permit,” DEP states.

Concerns were also raised about potential mercury and arsenic levels but DEP states that samples from the site show “treated leachate discharged from the facility under the existing permit have shown no detection” of arsenic.

Three out of four samples show no detectable mercury and a fourth recorded a reading so small that it converts to .0001 milligrams per liter.

A report from DEP’s Bureau of Radiation Protection in the wake of a Dec. 2019 site visit resulted in “no indication of elevated levels” of naturally occurring radioactive materials. “Additionally, the water samples were less than the federal drinking water limits for total radium.”

It’s no secret that there are endangered mussel species in the Allegheny River.The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, per DEP, is aware of the permit and did not offer comment.

“GENON (the current Shawville, Pa.-based owner of the site) is required to take samples of the effluent according to the permit requirements and submit a report of the results to DEP each month,” DEP states. “GENON submits the sample results through DEP’s electronic DMR (“eDMR“) system. DEP reviews these Discharge Monitoring Reports for noncompliance of the NPDES permit requirements. DEP also conducts inspections of the wastewater treatment plant and discharge.”