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Coal Ash
Coal ash is the hazardous waste that remains after coal is burned. Dumped into unlined ponds or mines, the toxins readily leach into drinking water supplies.
Key Resources:
- Campaign Home:
Coal Ash Contaminates Our Lives - Interactive Map:
In Harm's Way: Coal Ash-Contaminated Sites - Interactive Map: State Fact Sheets on Coal Ash
- Video Feature:
An Ill Wind - Video:
North Carolina Fights Back Coal Ash Pollution - Slideshow Feature: Little Blue Run: Living with Lies and Coal Ash
- Interactive Graphic: Health Impacts of Coal Ash Contaminants
- Infographic: Safe Drinking Water Standards
- Publications:
Reports on Coal Ash - Latest News on Coal Ash: Tr-Ash Talk
- Interactive Graphic:
The Story of Coal - Return to Earthjustice Campaign Center
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State Fact Sheets on Coal Ash
Related Links
See the full list of responses from power plants about their coal ash ponds and landfills: PDF or XLSX
For more information on coal ash ponds and landfills in the southeast, please visit Southeast Coal Ash Waste, a website managed by our coalition partners at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
In response to Freedom of Information Act requests filed by Earthjustice and our partners, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has revealed the existence of at least 1,161 coal ash dump sites across the country. These sites pose significant cancer and health risks that so far have gone unchecked. The data indicates that at least 535 ponds operate without a liner to prevent hazardous chemicals from reaching drinking water sources. Use the map below to view fact sheets analyzing the coal ash sites by state.
Note: Fact sheets include detailed analysis based on data available and full citations for statistics. Fact sheets will open in a new browser window.
All Fact Sheets: