Thursday, November 19, 2009

Alcoa requests permit modification

To ensure that it continues to comply with environmental regulations at the Badin Works aluminum smelter, Alcoa has submitted a request to the N.C. Department of Environment & Natural Resources to modify its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.

Alcoa is requesting to redirect stormwater from a small ½ acre site within the Badin Works property to another stormwater discharge outfall. With this modification, Alcoa is confident that fluoride levels in stormwater entering Badin Lake will remain below the allowable limits. No new or increased flows or fluoride levels in the stormwater discharge from Badin Works are being requested.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring chemical that is used in the aluminum manufacturing process and waste containing fluoride was previously stored on the Badin Works property. As part of the remediation process at Badin Works, Alcoa removed this waste and the underlying soil from the ½ acre site in 1994 and disposed of it an appropriate industrial landfill.

Stormwater runoff from this ½ acre site contains low levels of fluoride, but does not pose any risk to people who use Badin Lake (swimmers or fisherman) or to the wildlife or aquatic life in Badin Lake. Monitoring shows that fluoride levels are typically within the limits set by US Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water.

As part of its environmental responsibility, Alcoa is continually looking at ways to reduce fluoride levels. During the past two years, Alcoa has spent more than $180,000 to identify and reduce the amount of fluoride in stormwater. These efforts have included a variety of steps, including but not limited to:

• Simulating rain events and collecting soil, sediment and water samples to better determine the source of fluoride.

• Minimizing contact between stormwater and surface soils by installing new liners in drainage channels, roadways and parking areas, then covering those areas with stone.

Background on Fluoride

Fluorides are naturally occurring compounds that are often added to drinking water supplies and a variety of dental products, including toothpaste and mouth rinses, to help prevent dental cavities. Small amounts of fluoride are beneficial. Over time, ingestion of very high levels of fluoride in drinking water may cause brittle bones in children and adults and mottled teeth in children.

For the prevention of dental decay, the Public Health Service has recommended since 1962 that public water supplies contain between 0.7 and 1.2 milligrams of fluoride per liter of drinking water. The Environmental Protection Agency has set a maximum amount of fluoride allowable in drinking water of 4.0 milligrams per liter of water.

The NPDES permit places limits on fluoride levels coming from a portion of the Badin Works plant to 1.8 milligrams per liter, even though these discharges are located far from drinking water withdrawals.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Alcoa asks FERC to reconsider ruling on state water quality permit

Alcoa Power Generating Inc. (APGI) has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to reconsider its October 15th order finding that the State of North Carolina acted within the required timeframe when it issued a water quality certificate for the Yadkin Project.

In a legal filing on November 13, APGI argues that FERC erred by determining that a state can withhold the effectiveness of a water quality certificate beyond the statutory one-year deadline. In this case, the water quality certificate issued for the Yadkin Project on May 7, 2009 was not effective within the one-year timeframe specified by law, as expressly stated in the certificate, and required additional action before becoming effective.

APGI emphasized that it is not challenging or objecting to the conditions in the water quality certificate that closely mirror the environmental provisions in the Relicensing Settlement Agreement.

“We remain committed to improving water quality in the Yadkin River and stand behind the significant environmental protections that are included in the Relicensing Settlement Agreement,” said Gene Ellis. “We have asked FERC to reconsider its October 15th order because it was unsupported by legal conclusions and inconsistent with the Clean Water Act and FERC’s own regulations.”

Friday, November 6, 2009

The Yadkin Riverkeeper gets it wrong... again

The Yadkin Riverkeeper said today that he has recently “discovered” internal Alcoa documents from 1997 that suggest Alcoa tried to hide information about possible contamination in Badin Lake.

The truth of the matter – Alcoa openly shared information about the presence of PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) in Badin Lake with state agencies, local government officials and the media in May 1997. It gave a presentation to health officials and government leaders on May 16, 1997 and a story about Alcoa’s testing was reported on the front page of the Stanly News & Press on May 18, 1997.

The voluntary testing, conducted in April 1997, indicated PAHs in the sediment 20-30 feet below the surface of Badin Lake. Luanne Williams, a toxicologist with the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, reviewed the test results and indicated that the PAH levels in the swimming cove at Badin Lake were “comparable to concentrations found in urban soil” and “should not pose a significant health risk.” The N.C. Division of Public Health indicated then it was safe to swim in Badin Lake and confirmed that in early 2009 when it said, “It is safe to boat, wade, swim and do other activities in the water. Skin contact with the water or sediment does not represent a health risk.”

During the past 12 years, Alcoa has continued to monitor the sediment in Badin Lake and a 2008 study showed these sediments remain isolated and are not spreading to other parts of the lake.

Alcoa was commended by Stanly County officials, including county manager John Whitehurst and health director Barry Bass, in the Stanly News & Press’s 1997 article for sharing the information with the public.

“I commend (Alcoa) for proactively handling this information and for the way they worked with the state to determine the significance of the information,” Bass said.

Now, Yadkin Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks is trying to say that Alcoa’s behavior “indicates a pattern of deceit regarding its environmental record…”

But the facts show just the oppositeagain.

Alcoa awarded $13 million grant to modernize hydro project in western North Carolina

The U.S. Department of Energy announced Wednesday that it has awarded $30.6 million in economic stimulus funds to help modernize seven hydroelectric projects, including an Alcoa operation in western North Carolina. The grant demonstrates the federal government’s confidence in Alcoa’s long-standing ability to generate clean, renewable energy from its hydroelectric plants.

Alcoa will receive up to $13 million to replace four 90-year-old turbines at the Tapoco Project, located along the Little Tennessee River. The Tapoco Project includes four dams – two in western North Carolina and two in Tennessee – that supply power to an aluminum smelter in Alcoa, Tennessee.

The installation of new high-efficiency turbines is expected to increase power generation by 23 percent. U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the investment will help the United States generate more renewable energy without building new dams.

Alcoa has begun making similar upgrades to the Yadkin Project in central North Carolina. Alcoa has not received any stimulus money for those upgrades.

For more information, read John Murawski’s report in The News & Observer.