The Dynegy coal-fired power plant, located in Vermilion County, Illinois, closed in 2011 leaving behind three large ash pits containing millions of gallons of coal combustion waste laced with toxic heavy metals and carcinogens, the result of years of burning coal. All three pits are located in the floodplain; two of the pits are unlined and actively leaching into underlying groundwater. As state and federal agencies weigh new rules and regulations for the closure of coal ash ponds, Vermilion County residents and local experts raise their concerns about the possibility of a disaster similar to those that have occurred in Tennessee and North Carolina, where coal ash ponds have burst, sending tons of toxic sludge downstream.
