Just as we in central Ohio kick off Local Foods Week 2010, we get word of yet another coal slurry spill in Captina Creek, a mere 120 miles east of Columbus. The spill, which contaminated and discolored 1 1/2 miles of the Belmont County creek, was the result of a broken pipeline and is Murray Energy’s 7th rupture since 1999. As scary as this is to me as an Ohio resident, even scarier is knowing that Murray faces little to no accountability for damage done to local residents, wildlife or ecosystems. In 2005, the company paid out $50,000 for a spill that contaminated 2,300 feet of the very same stream (a hefty fine for the largest privately owned coal company in the US, eh?).
Now, since the Deepwater Horizon disaster we’ve all become a little more sensitive to the hidden trade-offs of non-renewable energy but if you’re like most Americans, you might be wondering “What’s coal slurry and why should I care?” Simply put, coal slurry is the liquid waste produced during the processing and washing of coal (the cleaner the coal, the higher the market value). According to the Sierra Club, it’s a toxic byproduct that contains heavy metals like arsenic, mercury, chromium and lead. While efforts are being made to contain and remove the spill, the chances that all contaminants will be recovered are slim.
Some of the chemicals and heavy metals found in coals slurry are known Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxicants (PBT’s). According to the EPA:
“While much progress has been made to reduce loadings, PBT’s continue to threaten human and ecosystem health. And since PBT pollutants transfer easily among air, water, and land, and span boundaries of geography and generations, environmental agencies increasingly recognize that they need to go beyond single-media control approaches”
Friday’s break leaked over 1/4 million gallons of toxic sludge, killing countless fish and threatening other aquatic life, including the endangered eastern hellbender salamander which calls the creek home. And as local papers have reported, there is concern that the contamination will have far reaching impacts and could potentially harm other wildlife.
…But the real question here is this: Why should we care (Ohio resident or not)? After all, in the grand scheme of things, what’s a few dead fish? In the wise words of the Sludge Safety Project, “We all live downstream!”.