Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Chunks of a coal and black powdery material have washed up along the shoreline in Caledonia. The DNR says the coal likely fell off a barge years ago and the black powdery stuff isn't coal ash at all, but rather magnetite.
A resident living just south of the We Energies Oak Creek Power Plant says she has been seeing quite a bit of what she believes is coal ash as well as chunks of coal washing up along the shores of Lake Michigan. The chunks of coal were wedged between the rocks on the beach, but there was also a powdery metallic substance in the sand. But an official with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says the powdery stuff on the shore probably is not coal ash, which contains arsenic, lead, mercury and other chemicals and has been linked to cancer. The coal on the beach, however, is indeed coal. After the We Energies bluff collapse in 2011, the company dredged the water to remove as much of the coal ash as they could and then they dumped it…
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
DNR and We Energies met Wednesday in Milwaukee.
The final chapter in the bluff collapse at We Energies' Oak Creek power plant is still to be written. Representatives from We Energies and the state Department of Natural Resources met Wednesday in Milwaukee to discuss the DNR's notice of violation it issued stemming from the Oct. 31 collapse. The DNR says We Energies didn't put a liner underneath a pond it constructed not far from where the bluff collapsed, and that not doing so had a "significant impact" on the integrity of the area. As a result, We Energies faces a fine that could be as much as $5,000 per day dating back to the 2008 issuance of a permit. However, We Energies officials said today they would fight the fine because they still believe the rules of the permit were followed, …
Friday, March 2, 2012
DNR officials say not building a pond was a "significant factor" in bluff collapse, but We Energies says it addressed the issue in other ways.
We Energies didn't put a liner underneath a pond it constructed not far from where the bluff collapsed at the Oak Creek Power Plant last year, and not having it had a "significant impact" on the integrity of the area, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Now, We Energies is facing potential fines. But company officials said they didn't think they a liner was required. In a notice of violation issued by the DNR, We Energies received an exemption to expand their facility in 2008 and it promised to put in liners under ponds or channels that were built over waste areas. The company was expected to submit a plan if they put a liner in, but one was never put in and a plan was never submitted, according to the notice. …
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Investigation into Oct. 31 incident still ongoing.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports today that the damage from the bluff collapse at We Energies' Oak Creek power plant was less than originally feared. The newspaper cited an assessment from the state Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Coast Guard and We Energies. Those agencies are still investigating why a portion of an embankment gave way on Oct. 31, sending debris, including dirt and fuel, into Lake Michigan. Opinions about the environmental impact have differed. We Energies and the DNR have said they do not anticipate any health risks, while environmental advocacy groups have voiced concerns over coal ash in the lake. Click here for the entire Journal Sentinel story.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Yup, it's true. We've turned a year old, we've produced 2,400 pieces of content and the most important thing is you!
Thousands of you have discovered Caledonia Patch and for that, we are grateful. So we thought we would kick off a 10-day year in review of the 50 most read stories on Caledonia Patch. After we tally up the winners, we'll list your favorites on Jan. 1. Also, we'd love to get your feedback on what intrigued you the most, that way we'll know where our time should be spent so that we can make your life ridiculously easy. Tell us what you think about these stories, let us know what we could have done differently, and feel free to share other story ideas with us. Also, if you see anything on the list you'd like to see an update on, let us know. We're all ears! 50. Man Gets Tasered by Two Police Officers at the Same Time 49. Is there a way to …
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Other We Energies power plants still in operation.
One of the two new coal-fired power plants We Energies built in Oak Creek will be shut down for repairs, according to a report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The newspaper reported that a problem that could lead to turbine corrosion was detected during an inspection in October. The second plant is still operating, as is the original power plant built in the 1950s and 1960s. Click here for the entire report. Speaking of We Energies, the company posted an update on the bluff collapse clean-up on its blog last week. The post includes a photo showing a dramatic change in the area where the collapse happened. We Energies says significant progress has been achieved, and added that new estimates have the amount of material that went into Lake…
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp pens editorial assessing the impact of the bluff collapse at We Energies' Oak Creek power plant.
Monday, November 14, 2011
We Energies still waiting for final tally on cost of bluff collapse at Oak Creek power plant.
The total clean-up cost following the bluff collapse at We Energies' Oak Creek power plant isn't known, but at least a portion of it - removing equipment and material that washed into the lake - won't be passed on to customers, according to a report Monday in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The newspaper also reported that the director of the Wisconsin Utility Citizens Board, a customer group that often clashes with We Energies, remained worried that other costs may be borne by ratepayers. Click here for the full report.
Friday, November 11, 2011
You were busy this week, but here's what you missed on Caledonia Patch.
Most Popular articles
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Cleaning up after 25,000 cubic yards of coal ash slid down a bluff after it collapsed, We Energies officials are putting it into a landfill in Caledonia they've operated since 1988.
Want to read more about this topic? Click the Facebook "like" button above this article. If we get 10 or more than 10 "likes," we'll know to write a follow-up story. Contractors cleaning up 25,000 cubic yards of coal ash and debris from the bluff collapse at the We Energies power plant in Oak Creek are dumping it into their landfill in Caledonia. Brian Manthey, a spokesman for We Energies, said the company has used the landfill since 1988 as a holding area for coal and coal ash waiting to be recycled. The bluff collapse at the We Energies power plant last week exposed coal ash from the 1950s and 1960s. Officials with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and We Energies said the impact on human health would be minimal. However, …
Bren
3:22 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012
Isn't coal ash slightly radioactive? A simple test should be able to figure out what's currently in our freshwater supply. more ›