Grantee Research Project Results
2000 Progress Report: Coal Combustion Wastes: New Concerns About an Old Problem
EPA Grant Number: R827581Title: Coal Combustion Wastes: New Concerns About an Old Problem
Investigators: Congdon, Justin D. , Hopkins, William A. , Rowe, C. L.
Institution: Savannah River Ecology Laboratory , Chesapeake Biological Laboratory
Current Institution: Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: August 15, 1999 through August 14, 2000
Project Period Covered by this Report: August 15, 1999 through August 14, 2000
Project Amount: $67,698
RFA: Futures: Detecting the Early Signals (1999) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Aquatic Ecosystems , Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration , Water , Land and Waste Management , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
Until recently, the effects of coal ash on wildlife appear to have been underestimated. Recent studies indicate that disposal of coal ash in aquatic systems may pose significant physiological and ecological problems that warrant attention from the scientific and regulatory communities. The objective of this project is to compile a comprehensive review and synthesis of the literature on coal combustion waste. The synthesis will provide the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a statement of current views on the environmental effects of coal ash, based upon recent, peer-reviewed studies. The manuscript also will provide a guide for future environmental research needs associated with increased coal combustion in the future.Progress Summary:
We have completed the extensive literature review required to produce our synthesis of information on coal ash. We reviewed more than 300 documents on a wide array of topics pertaining to chemical, biological, and ecological aspects of coal ash disposal practices. The final synthesis, currently being compiled, identifies the major contaminants associated with coal ash disposal in aquatic systems and the environmental effects associated with these pollutants. Using a case-study approach to identify the various sites across the United States where environmental degradation from coal ash has occurred, we provide a synthesis that will be useful for both the scientific and regulatory communities.Future Activities:
The final synthesis will be submitted to the EPA in February 2001.Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 8 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
fossil fuel, electricity, water pollution, heavy metals, arsenic, cadmium, selenium, ecotoxicology, sublethal effects., RFA, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Scientific Discipline, Air, Waste, Ecological Risk Assessment, Fate & Transport, Chemistry and Materials Science, Incineration/Combustion, Futures, Exp. Research/future, Atmospheric Sciences, Bioavailability, climate change, exploratory research, heavy metals, trace elements, water pollution, Global Climate Change, fossil fuel, environmental monitoring, emerging environmental problems, chemical composition, public policy, coal ash, fate and transport, coal combustion, ecotoxicology, coal combustion wastes, futures researchProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.