Here are resources to learn more about the coal ash in Lansing:
- The Lansing Online News blog posts by Bill Castanier outlining the problem and associated issues. These posts brought the issue to the attention of city residents.
- Lansing Board of Water and Light links to minutes of various minutes of meetings where coal ash was discussed along with related items.
- WLNS.com story about the Lansing City Council Public Safety Committee meeting about the coal ash. Story centers on trees that had to be taken down to get to the coal ash.
- Wikipedia article about coal ash, including a description of the toxic chemical in the substance.
The city of Lansing’s publicly-owned utility, the Board of Water and Light, had buried several hundred cubic yards of coal ash on the northwest side. After being there for many years, the power company has decided to move it into an area landfill designed for such hazardous waste.
Last night, the City Council’s Public Safety Committee held a public-hearing like meeting where the utility sent representatives to provide the who, what, when, where, how, why and so what of what could become a serious environmental problem for the area.
Chaired by Council-member Carol Wood, the meeting was well-attended, informative and orderly. All parties including representatives from the Ingham County Health Department and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources also answered questions from the audience.
This is an issue needing continuing oversight to ensure that groundwater is not affected by chemicals in the coal ash and that it’s placed in an environment where there would be no risks of future harm.
Here’s an almost 10-minute video shot with a small Flip video camera where a board representative describes the situation:
