Archived
This content is available here strictly for research, reference, and/or recordkeeping and as such it may not be fully accessible. If you work or study at University of Kentucky and would like to request an accessible version, please use the SensusAccess Document Converter.
Location
Lexington, Kentucky
Start Date
5-5-2026 1:00 PM
End Date
5-5-2026 1:30 PM
Description
Rainbow Energy Center’s (REC’s) Coal Creek Station has managed coal combustion residuals (CCR) in various engineered impoundments and landfills since plant operation began in 1978. Since then, waste containment methods have evolved resulting in significant changes to their CCR management practice. In the late 1980s and early 1990s REC closed several existing CCR units with natural soil liners and constructed several new CCR units with composite liner systems. One of the closed units was an area now referred to as North Section 16, an impoundment that received CCR including bottom ash, fly ash, and flue gas desulfurization material. North Section 16 was initially closed in the late 1980s by removal of CCR waste from within the footprint. The perimeter dikes and fly ash dike that remained after that initial cleanout were removed in the early 2000s and the area was considered closed. In 2022 a statistically significant increase for boron was identified at a well downgradient of an active CCR unit located within the North Section 16 area. In October 2022 WSP USA Inc. conducted a preliminary evaluation of the North Section 16 area and identified suspected CCR material, which was confirmed with geochemical testing. A detailed physical evaluation was conducted November 2024 and included visual inspection, collection of shallow soil/CCR samples, excavation of test pits, and collection of soil/CCR material and water samples from the test pits. Collected samples were reviewed and a subset sent for laboratory testing including totals analysis, and analysis of leachate extracted using the synthetic precipitation leaching procedure. The results of both the physical evaluation and material testing were evaluated with the goal of identifying CCR and soil impacted by CCR that will need to be removed/decontaminated as part of a corrective action plan.
Document Type
Presentation
Archival?
Archival
Included in
Energy Systems Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Mining Engineering Commons, Oil, Gas, and Energy Commons, Structural Materials Commons, Sustainability Commons
Investigation of a Historical Coal Combustion Residuals Management Unit (CCRMU)
Lexington, Kentucky
Rainbow Energy Center’s (REC’s) Coal Creek Station has managed coal combustion residuals (CCR) in various engineered impoundments and landfills since plant operation began in 1978. Since then, waste containment methods have evolved resulting in significant changes to their CCR management practice. In the late 1980s and early 1990s REC closed several existing CCR units with natural soil liners and constructed several new CCR units with composite liner systems. One of the closed units was an area now referred to as North Section 16, an impoundment that received CCR including bottom ash, fly ash, and flue gas desulfurization material. North Section 16 was initially closed in the late 1980s by removal of CCR waste from within the footprint. The perimeter dikes and fly ash dike that remained after that initial cleanout were removed in the early 2000s and the area was considered closed. In 2022 a statistically significant increase for boron was identified at a well downgradient of an active CCR unit located within the North Section 16 area. In October 2022 WSP USA Inc. conducted a preliminary evaluation of the North Section 16 area and identified suspected CCR material, which was confirmed with geochemical testing. A detailed physical evaluation was conducted November 2024 and included visual inspection, collection of shallow soil/CCR samples, excavation of test pits, and collection of soil/CCR material and water samples from the test pits. Collected samples were reviewed and a subset sent for laboratory testing including totals analysis, and analysis of leachate extracted using the synthetic precipitation leaching procedure. The results of both the physical evaluation and material testing were evaluated with the goal of identifying CCR and soil impacted by CCR that will need to be removed/decontaminated as part of a corrective action plan.
