Toxic Coal Ash in Ohio: Addressing Coal Plants’ Hazardous Legacy

For many decades, utilities dumped billions of tons of coal ash — the toxic substance left after burning coal — in unlined ponds, landfills, and mines where the toxic pollution leaks into water and soil.

Across the U.S., immense coal ash dumps are leaking hazardous chemicals including arsenic, chromium, lead, lithium, radium, and other heavy metals, which have been linked to numerous types of cancer, heart and thyroid disease, respiratory illness, reproductive failure, and neurological harm. In addition to those well-known health threats, in 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency acknowledged that coal ash contains levels of arsenic and radiation that pose cancer risks.

Coal ash remains one of our nation’s largest toxic industrial waste streams. U.S. coal plants continue to produce approximately 70 million tons every year. Coal ash is disproportionately located in low-income communities and communities of color.

Industry’s own data indicate that across the country almost all coal plants are polluting water above federal safe drinking water standards.

Despite regulations established a decade ago, the coal industry has failed to comply with federal safeguards and uses deceptive tactics to avoid cleaning up its coal ash.

Because of industry’s widespread violations of coal ash regulations, in 2023, the EPA ramped up enforcement after designating coal ash a national enforcement priority. The EPA reports that many plants are illegally closing coal ash ponds with toxic ash sitting in groundwater, threatening drinking water and the health of nearby residents.

The longer industry delays, the more toxic waste enters our water, and the more difficult cleanup becomes. But the coal industry is asking Trump’s EPA to let them off the hook.

The Gavin Power Plant in Cheshire, Ohio, looms over neighboring homes in 2002.
The Gavin Power Plant in Cheshire, Ohio, looms over neighboring homes in 2002. (Stephanie Keith / Getty Images)

Action Needed

Federal coal ash protections established in 2015 and 2024 require monitoring, closure, and cleanup of the more than 1,000 coal ash dumps across the country. Cleaning up coal ash now will not only prevent another billion-dollar catastrophic failure, it will preserve drinking water; protect rivers, streams, and lakes; and allow safe redevelopment of power plant sites.

The magnitude of harm from recklessly dumped toxic coal ash requires decisive action from federal and state regulators:

  • Power companies must be required to comply with the law and immediately clean up their pollution, including removing any coal ash in contact with groundwater.
  • When power companies retire coal plants, they must clean up their toxic mess and leave communities with sites that benefit rather than harm their health, environment, and economy.
  • EPA and states must prohibit the use of coal ash as a substitute for clean soil in construction (known as structural fill), especially in residential areas, and ensure cleanup of areas where ash was used as fill.

Click on plant locations on the map to see industry reports

Use this map to understand where coal ash is stored near you. This map displays the locations of current and former coal plants with coal ash dumps. The dumps were identified using data gathered by EPA and self-reported by the coal industry. (Caroline Weinberg / Earthjustice)

Coal Ash in Ohio

Acme Unclear 1 legacy pond(s) 1 legacy pond(s) No data yet No groundwater data reported OH-09 (Marcy Kaptur)
Avon Lake GenOn Power Midwest LP 3 potential ash dump(s) 3 potential ash dump(s) No data yet No groundwater data reported OH-05 (Bob Latta)
Cardinal Buckeye Power Co. & AEP 2 pond(s), 1 landfill(s), and 2 potential ash dump(s) 2 potential ash dump(s) 20,046,715 Arsenic (x4), Boron (x3), Lithium (x11), Molybdenum (x9), Sulfate (x3) OH-06 (Michael Rulli)
Conesville Conesville Industrial Park, LLC (formerly American Electric Power) 1 pond(s), 1 landfill(s), and 1 potential ash dump(s) 1 potential ash dump(s) 4,752,278 Arsenic (x15), Beryllium (x4), Boron (x7), Cobalt (x7), Fluoride (x2), Lithium (x4), Molybdenum (x15), Radium 226+228 (x2) OH-12 (Troy Balderson)
FirstEnergy Ashtabula FirstEnergy Generation Corp. 1 legacy pond(s) 1 legacy pond(s) No data yet No groundwater data reported OH-14 (David Joyce)
FirstEnergy Bay Shore FirstEnergy Generation Corp. 1 likely inactive pond(s), and 1 potential ash dump(s) 1 potential ash dump(s) No data yet No groundwater data reported OH-09 (Marcy Kaptur)
FirstEnergy Eastlake Vistra Vision (formerly owned by FirstEnergy) 1 likely inactive pond(s), and 1 potential ash dump(s) 1 potential ash dump(s) No data yet No groundwater data reported OH-14 (David Joyce)
FirstEnergy Lake Shore FirstEnergy Generation Corp. 1 legacy pond(s) 1 legacy pond(s) No data yet No groundwater data reported OH-11 (Shontel Brown)
FirstEnergy R. E. Burger FirstEnergy Generation Corp. 2 legacy pond(s), and 1 potential ash dump(s) 2 legacy pond(s), and 1 potential ash dump(s) No data yet No groundwater data reported OH-06 (Michael Rulli)
FirstEnergy W. H. Sammis Energy Harbor Generation, LLC (formerly FirstEnergy) 2 pond(s), 1 landfill(s) None estimated 3,652,830 Barium (x2), Cobalt (x8) OH-06 (Michael Rulli)
General James M. Gavin Gavin Power, LLC 2 pond(s), 1 landfill(s), and 2 potential ash dump(s) 2 potential ash dump(s) 67,366,817 Arsenic (x3), Boron (x2), Cobalt (x23), Fluoride (x2), Lead (x2), Lithium (x17), Molybdenum (x6) OH-02 (David Taylor)
J. M. Stuart Kingfisher Development, LLC (formerly AES Ohio Generation) 5 pond(s), 3 landfill(s), and 4 potential ash dump(s) 4 potential ash dump(s) 24,827,700 Arsenic (x11), Barium (x1), Boron (x9), Cobalt (x4), Lithium (x4), Molybdenum (x26), Radium 226+228 (x2), Selenium (x1), Sulfate (x1) OH-02 (David Taylor)
Killen Station AES Ohio Generation 3 pond(s) None estimated 14,460,000 Boron (x4), Lithium (x19), Molybdenum (x35) OH-02 (David Taylor)
Kyger Creek Ohio Valley Electric Corp 2 pond(s), 1 landfill(s), and 2 potential ash dump(s) 2 potential ash dump(s) 8,612,071 Arsenic (x11), Barium (x33), Boron (x9), Cobalt (x5), Lithium (x11), Molybdenum (x4), Radium 226+228 (x2), Sulfate (x2) OH-02 (David Taylor)
Mad River Ohio Edison Company 1 legacy pond(s) 1 legacy pond(s) 236,000 No groundwater data reported OH-10 (Michael Turner)
Miami Fort Luminant (formerly Dynegy, Inc.) 2 pond(s), 1 landfill(s), and 3 potential ash dump(s) 3 potential ash dump(s) 4,100,735 Arsenic (x4), Boron (x10), Cobalt (x2), Molybdenum (x12), Sulfate (x2) OH-08 (Warren Davidson)
Muskingum River Muskingum River Development, LLC 4 legacy pond(s), and 1 potential ash dump(s) 4 legacy pond(s), and 1 potential ash dump(s) Failed to report volume 2014 EPA report found evidence of Barium, Iron, Gross Alpha, Sulfate, and Total Dissolved Solids contamination OH-12 (Troy Balderson)
Niles Trogon Development, LLC 3 legacy pond(s) 3 legacy pond(s) Failed to report volume No groundwater data reported OH-14 (David Joyce)
O.H. Hutchings Kimura Power, LLC (Parent, Rockland Capital LP). Formerly Dayton Power & Light Co. 3 legacy pond(s) 3 legacy pond(s) No data yet No groundwater data reported OH-10 (Michael Turner)
Patterson Avenue Ohio Edison Company 1 legacy pond(s) 1 legacy pond(s) Volume reporting not required No groundwater data reported OH-13 (Emilia Sykes)
Philo Plant Ohio Franklin Realty, Ohio Power Company 2 legacy pond(s) 2 legacy pond(s) 514,500 No groundwater data reported OH-12 (Troy Balderson)
Picway Columbus Southern Power Company 1 legacy pond(s) 1 legacy pond(s) No data yet No groundwater data reported OH-02 (David Taylor)
Poston Plant Ohio Franklin Realty, Ohio Power Company 1 legacy pond(s) 1 legacy pond(s) 1,032,533 No groundwater data reported OH-12 (Troy Balderson)
Richard Gorsuch American Mun. Power-Ohio, Inc. 1 potential ash dump(s) 1 potential ash dump(s) No data yet No groundwater data reported OH-06 (Michael Rulli)
Richmond Mill, Inc. Richmond Mill, Inc. 1 landfill(s) None estimated 3,091,600 Boron (x16), Cobalt (x1), Lithium (x116), Molybdenum (x38), Radium 226+228 (x15), Sulfate (x3) OH-06 (Michael Rulli)
Toronto FirstEnergy 1 legacy pond(s) 1 legacy pond(s) No data yet No groundwater data reported OH-06 (Michael Rulli)
W.H. Zimmer Luminant (formerly Dynegy, Inc.) 3 pond(s), 1 landfill(s), and 1 potential ash dump(s) 1 potential ash dump(s) 21,783,161 Boron (x3), Lithium (x6), Sulfate (x2) OH-02 (David Taylor)
Walter C. Beckjord New Richmond Development Corporation, LLC (formerly Duke Energy Ohio, Inc.) 4 pond(s), and 4 potential ash dump(s) 4 potential ash dump(s) No data yet 2007 EPA report found evidence of Selenium and Sulfate contamination OH-02 (David Taylor)

* Total volume of coal ash reported as of 2021 for ponds and landfills regulated under the 2015 Coal Ash Rule, and as of 2024 for legacy ponds at power plants that retired before October 2015. This volume does not include any of the potential ash dumps that will begin reporting in 2026.

** Parentheticals indicate magnitude of exceedance above federal health-based guidelines for drinking water based on industry data and analysis described in the report, Poisonous Coverup. See summaries of EPA reports.

Massive quantities of toxic coal ash are stored at 28 current and former power plant sites in Ohio, more locations than any other state.

Most of those sites include older coal ash dumps that industry is only now beginning to quantify and monitor.

Power plant owners must report on 49 older coal ash dumps at 25 power plant sites for the first time, under the safeguards established by the 2024 Legacy Coal Ash Rule. Those dump sites are in addition to 11 landfills and 22 unlined coal ash ponds (none of which have protective liners to prevent leaks of hazardous chemicals) that are covered by the 2015 Rule. Those 33 dumps alone contain more than 172 million cubic yards of toxic coal ash. That’s equivalent to a football field piled more than 15 miles high with coal ash. But more than half of all Ohio power plant sites have not yet provided estimates of the volume of coal ash contained on their properties, though they will be required to do so under the 2024 Legacy Coal Ash Rule.

Groundwater contamination above federal safe drinking water standards was detected at every plant that provided monitoring results.

FirstEnergy Generation Corp., Dayton Power & Light, Columbus Southern Power Co., Vistra Vision, and Kimura Power, LLC may have failed to report on some of their coal ash ponds. Earthjustice estimates there may be 15 unreported coal ash ponds located at nine different power plant sites in Ohio. These plants are potentially violating requirements of the 2015 or 2024 coal ash rule.

For More Information

Christine Santillana, Senior Legislative Counsel, Earthjustice, csantillana@earthjustice.org

Lisa Evans, Senior Counsel, Earthjustice, levans@earthjustice.org.

About the Map

  • EPA’s first coal ash regulations, issued in 2015, covered only some coal ash dumps, exempting older ponds and landfills at current and former coal plant sites.
  • In 2024, EPA extended federal monitoring and cleanup requirements to hundreds of previously excluded older coal ash landfills and ponds leaking toxic pollution into groundwater and surface water. Industry is now required to monitor those older dump sites, filing initial reports on so-called ‘legacy’ ponds at former coal plants in 2024.
  • In 2026, industry will be required to report on additional dump sites at operating power plants that did not receive ash after Oct. 19, 2015. Groundwater monitoring requirements are not yet in effect for these newly regulated dumps, so the table below may lack specific information about the number of units and the extent of contamination at a particular site.

Earthjustice fights in the courts for a long-term solution to the toxic menace of coal ash. And we act on behalf of dozens of clients and over 100 coalition partners to defeat legislative attempts to subvert federally enforceable safeguards of coal ash.

Earthjustice’s Clean Energy Program uses the power of the law and the strength of partnership to accelerate the transition to 100% clean energy.