Recent Developments
Selenium in Coal Fly Ash Forces Closure of Wildlife Nesting Area
March 11, 2009
The discovery of high levels of selenium in a cooling lake near a Duke Energy power plant in Gibson, IN forced the company to close the lake to fishing, and prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to drain a nearby moat that had been an important nesting area for an endangered species of tern.
The cause was pollution of the lake and moat by coal fly ash – a common source of selenium contamination. Researchers say the lake remains a “significant toxic hazard.”
For more details see the news story in the Louisville (KY) Courier Journal at http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990223002