The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality is investigating a discharge of stormwater at a Duke Energy coal ash facility in Cleveland County. Staff did not immediately observe any sediment or evidence that coal ash was released.
Duke Energy notified state officials Tuesday morning about the discharge at the Rogers Energy Complex, formerly known as Cliffside Steam Station. An earthen berm on top of a lined coal ash landfill backed up with water from overnight rain. A four-foot section of the berm failed and drained into a storm water system that discharges into nearby Suck Creek.
Staff from the state environmental department are investigating the incident today. Duke Energy has plugged the stormwater basin outlet and is using pumps to move water from the basin back to the leachate collection system.
State officials are gathering additional information to estimate the potential volume of the discharge and any potential impact on surface water. DEQ permits the coal ash landfill and will investigate to determine if there were any violations of the Duke Energy facility’s solid waste permit.