Coal ash problem persists around LG&E power plant

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Aerial view of the LG&E Cane Run generating plant.

A coal ash cloud recorded by Greg Walker.

Screen put up by LG&E to prevent the coal ash from blowing into the neighborhood.

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - It's a big, dusty dump that's been building for decades on the bank of the Ohio River. It's coal ash from LG&E's Cane Run power plant. A year ago, neighbors complained of the health effects.

"His allergy doctor is the one that made the comment we need to move," said parent Stephanie Hogan, referring to her two-year-old son with asthma.

Tumors just came back on Bryttny Hiser's eight-month-old son.

"The whole right side of his face, his right eye socket and lesion above his left eye and they said that one of the main reasons the cancer recurs is the environmental pollutants," Hiser said.

Her whole neighborhood is getting a crash course in environmental pollution. Already, LG&E has been fined twice by Air Pollution Control, $22,500 and $24,000, for coal ash blowing beyond the Cane Run generating plant. In an April 25 press release, LG&E announced it would control dust potential by installing a dust screen.

"The dust screen is an example of something we're doing above and beyond to do anything we can," said Chris Whelan, a LG&E spokesperson.

It's a 50 foot tall, 223 foot long screen. So how's that working out? We've been watching. Neighbors have been watching. Repeatedly, in May, June and July, neighbors record video of dust flying over and around the net. Sometimes it looks like a tornado swallows up the screen. Sometimes, like on July 1, it looks like a wildfire blackout.

Greg Walker has a dusty front row seat where he records flying coal ash. Walker said he can predict when it's going to blanket his house by watching the weather and how often they water the ash pile.

"It's aggravating that the kids can't have their toys out or anything," said Walker. "Everything gets covered with dust. You can wash your car and a day or two later it's covered with dust."

"It wasn't meant to be the end all solution," Whelan said. "We've got the watering trucks, added soil and seed, done all these steps. What else can we do to help the neighbors? It was a windbreak to help contain the dust."

Neighbors are just as angry with Air Pollution Control even though it has levied $46,000 in fines. They contend that's nickel and dime stuff for a company as large as LG&E.

"You could argue that, but this is what our regulations provide," said Air Pollution Control District spokesman Thomas Nord.

The residents say the screen is a joke.

"I won't call it a joke, because I don't want to be glib," said Nord. "But I have said and I'll say again, the net was not part of any compliance plan we asked LG&E to do."

Now that it's being documented, many are wondering if the blowing ash is a health hazard. When Hiser's son is not in chemo treatment, he's not playing in the yard either.

"We don't let him go outside very much period, because we don't want him getting sick," said Hiser. "So if we go outside we have to take him all the way to the zoo or to the park for 30 minutes."

"We're not health experts," said Whelan. "The EPA sets the standards and APCD enforces them. There's not been any violation of these health standards. We have ambient air monitors all over Jefferson County and there's been no violation of these standards."

"We don't have an opinion on that because we don't have the science, either way," said Nord. "Our position is, regardless of what it is or isn't doing to people's health, it's a situation that can't continue."