September 2, 2025
Toxic Coal Ash in Pennsylvania: 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.
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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.
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
Coal Ash in Pennsylvania
| Cheswick Power Plant | GenOn | 2 pond(s), 1 landfill(s) | None estimated | 3,696,344 | Boron (x1), Lithium (x1), Molybdenum (x2) | PA-17 (Chris Deluzio) |
| Conemaugh | GenOn | 4 pond(s), 1 landfill(s), and 3 potential ash dump(s) | 3 potential ash dump(s) | 67,236,028 | Cobalt (x18), Sulfate (x2) | PA-14 (Guy Reschenthaler) |
| Elrama Power Plant | GenOn | 4 legacy pond(s), and 1 potential ash dump(s) | 4 legacy pond(s), and 1 potential ash dump(s) | No data yet | 2014 EPA report found evidence of Arsenic, Boron, Chloride, Sulfate, Total Dissolved Solids, and Se contamination | PA-14 (Guy Reschenthaler) |
| FirstEnergy Armstrong Power Station | Allegheny Energy Supply Co., LLC | 1 legacy pond(s), and 2 potential ash dump(s) | 1 legacy pond(s), and 2 potential ash dump(s) | Volume reporting not required | No groundwater data reported | PA-15 (Glenn Thompson) |
| FirstEnergy Bruce Mansfield | Energy Harbor Generation, LLC (formerly FirstEnergy) | 1 pond(s), and 4 potential ash dump(s) | 4 potential ash dump(s) | 129,052,000 | Arsenic (x7), Barium (x13), Boron (x2), Lithium (x8), Molybdenum (x1), Sulfate (x5) | PA-17 (Chris Deluzio) |
| FirstEnergy Mitchell Power Station | Allegheny Energy Supply Co., LLC | 2 legacy pond(s), and 2 potential ash dump(s) | 2 legacy pond(s), and 2 potential ash dump(s) | No data yet | 2014 EPA report found evidence of Arsenic, Boron, Molybdenum, Nickel, Manganese and Iron contamination | PA-14 (Guy Reschenthaler) |
| Foster Wheeler Mt Carmel Cogen | Mount Carmel Cogen Inc. | 1 potential ash dump(s) | 1 potential ash dump(s) | No data yet | No groundwater data reported | PA-09 (Dan Meuser) |
| Frank R. Phillips Power Station | FirstEnergy | 1 legacy pond(s) | 1 legacy pond(s) | No data yet | 2014 EPA report found evidence of Arsenic, Fluoride, Aluminum, Manganese, Chloride, and Total Dissolved Solids contamination | PA-17 (Chris Deluzio) |
| Hatfields Ferry Power Station | Energy Harbor Generation, LLC (formerly FirstEnergy) | 1 landfill(s), and 1 potential ash dump(s) | 1 potential ash dump(s) | 16,365,000 | Boron (x8), Cobalt (x49), Sulfate (x4) | PA-14 (Guy Reschenthaler) |
| Homer City Station | NRG | 1 landfill(s), and 2 potential ash dump(s) | 2 potential ash dump(s) | 20,560,000 | Lithium (x5) | PA-14 (Guy Reschenthaler) |
| Hunlock Power Station | Allegheny Energy Supply Co., LLC | 2 likely inactive pond(s) | None estimated | No data yet | 2014 EPA report found evidence of Arsenic, Iron, and Manganese, contamination | PA-09 (Dan Meuser) |
| Keystone | GenOn | 3 pond(s), 1 landfill(s), and 11 potential ash dump(s) | 11 potential ash dump(s) | 29,361,336 | Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chloride, Cobalt, Lead, Lithium, Radium, Selenium, Total Dissolved Solids. See Ashtracker | PA-15 (Glenn Thompson) |
| Milesburg | West Penn Power Company | 1 legacy pond(s) | 1 legacy pond(s) | 120,000 | No groundwater data reported | PA-15 (Glenn Thompson) |
| New Castle Plant | GenOn | 1 pond(s), 1 landfill(s), and 1 potential ash dump(s) | 1 potential ash dump(s) | 1,378,851 | Arsenic (x372), Boron (x4), Cobalt (x5), Lithium (x54), Molybdenum (x1), Sulfate (x3) | PA-16 (Mike Kelly) |
| Portland | GenOn | 3 legacy pond(s), and 4 potential ash dump(s) | 3 legacy pond(s), and 4 potential ash dump(s) | No data yet | 2014 EPA report found evidence of Fluoride, Aluminum, Iron, Manganese, Sulfate, Total Dissolved Solids contamination | PA-07 (Ryan Mackenzie) |
| PPL Brunner Island | Talen Energy | 1 pond(s), 1 landfill(s), and 6 potential ash dump(s) | 6 potential ash dump(s) | 4,113,048 | Arsenic (x23), Cobalt (x14), Lithium (x5), Molybdenum (x8), Sulfate (x1) | PA-11 (Lloyd Smucker) |
| PPL Holtwood | Unclear | 1 potential ash dump(s) | 1 potential ash dump(s) | No data yet | No groundwater data reported | PA-11 (Lloyd Smucker) |
| PPL Martins Creek | PPL Generation | 4 likely inactive pond(s) | None estimated | No data yet | 2010 EPA report found evidence of Arsenic, Copper, Lead, Aluminum, Selenium, Chromium, and Iron contamination | PA-07 (Ryan Mackenzie) |
| PPL Montour | Talen Energy | 1 pond(s), 1 landfill(s), and 4 potential ash dump(s) | 4 potential ash dump(s) | 10,624,111 | Cobalt (x3), Lithium (x4), Sulfate (x3) | PA-09 (Dan Meuser) |
| Seward Generating Station | NRG Energy | 1 potential ash dump(s) | 1 potential ash dump(s) | No data yet | 2014 EPA report found evidence of Antimony, Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, Lead, Selenium, Aluminum, Iron, Manganese, Chloride, Nickel, Sulfate, Total Dissolved Solids contamination | PA-14 (Guy Reschenthaler) |
| Shawville | GenOn | 4 likely inactive pond(s), and 2 potential ash dump(s) | 2 potential ash dump(s) | No data yet | No groundwater data reported | PA-15 (Glenn Thompson) |
| Springdale | Allegheny Energy Supply Company | 2 legacy pond(s) | 2 legacy pond(s) | Volume reporting not required | No groundwater data reported | PA-17 (Chris Deluzio) |
| Sunbury Generation LP | Sunbury Generation, L.P. | 1 pond(s) | None estimated | 1,935,997 | No groundwater data reported | PA-15 (Glenn Thompson) |
| Titus | GenOn | 2 legacy pond(s), and 4 potential ash dump(s) | 2 legacy pond(s), and 4 potential ash dump(s) | No data yet | No groundwater data reported | PA-06 (Chrissy Houlahan) |
| Wheelabrator Frackville Energy | Wheelabrator Environmental Systems | 1 potential ash dump(s) | 1 potential ash dump(s) | No data yet | No groundwater data reported | PA-09 (Dan Meuser) |
| WPS Westwood Generation, LLC | WPS Power Development | 1 potential ash dump(s) | 1 potential ash dump(s) | No data yet | No groundwater data reported | PA-09 (Dan Meuser) |
* 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 26 current and former power plant sites in Pennsylvania.
Most of these sites include older coal ash dumps that industry is only now beginning to quantify and monitor.
Power plant owners must report on approximately 68 older coal ash dumps at 22 plant sites in Pennsylvania for the first time, under the safeguards established by the 2024 Legacy Coal Ash Rule.
Those dump sites are in addition to eight landfills and 14 coal ash ponds (of which 13 have no protective liner to prevent leaks of hazardous chemicals) that are covered by the 2015 Rule. Those ash dumps contain more than 284 million cubic yards of toxic coal ash. That’s equivalent to a football field piled more than 25 miles high with coal ash.
All of the plants in Pennsylvania with data available, except one, are contaminating groundwater above federal safe drinking water standards, according to the plants’ own monitoring data. At the remaining plant site, groundwater contains unsafe levels of coal ash pollutants, but the specific source cannot yet be determined by the existing monitoring system.
At eight plants in Pennsylvania (Elrama, Mitchell, Frank R. Phillips, Hunlock, Portland, Martins Creek, Shawville, Titus), plant operators (GenOn, Allegheny Energy, and FirstEnergy) failed to report any of their coal ash dumps, in potential violation of the law. Earthjustice estimates the power companies may own at least 35 coal ash dumps, many of which are unlined ponds.
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.
More on Coal Ash in Pennsylvania
- EPA Moves to Reject Six Coal Plants’ Applications to Keep Toxic Coal Ash Dumps Open (January 25, 2023)
- Poisonous Coverup: The Widespread Failure of the Power Industry to Clean Up Coal Ash Dumps (November 3, 2022)
- New safeguards at Hatfield’s Ferry coal ash landfill (September 20, 2017)
- Environmental Groups Urge Pennsylvania to Deny FirstEnergy’s Toxic Coal Ash Dumping Permit (June 3, 2015)
- Short Film Released About American Dreams Turned Into Toxic Nightmare (October 17, 2014)
- The Insanity of Pennsylvania Coal Ash (November 27, 2013)
- Tr-Ash Talk: Penn. Latinos Endure Toxic Neighbor (September 26, 2013)
- Impacts on Water Quality from Placement of Coal Combustion Waste in Pennsylvania Coal Mines (September 2007)
Coal Ash in States, Territories, Regions
Puerto Rico (En Español)
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.
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