In this Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014 photo, signs of coal ash swirl in the water in the Dan River in Danville, Va. after a spill from a Duke Energy coal ash pond. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) | ASSOCIATED PRESS
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois Department of Natural Resources said Thursday that it will increase inspections of coal-ash ponds in the wake of high-profile accidents that fouled waterways in other states, and implement other reforms in the division that oversees mining and oil and gas exploration.
DNR Director Marc Miller said the agency will visually inspect the structural integrity of Illinois’ coal ash ponds “to protect our natural resources,” after recent accidents in West Virginia and North Carolina polluted waterways with heavy metals and other contaminants.
Illinois has almost 90 coal-ash ponds, which hold much of the estimated 4.4 million tons of ash generated every year by the state’s coal-burning power plants.
The state Pollution Control Board is gathering public input on rules proposed by the state Environmental Protection Agency that would require stricter monitoring of groundwater near coal-ash ponds throughout the state.