Dominion To Discuss Closure Plans Of Coal Ash Pond At Possum Point Plant

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — Dominion Energy is holding a virtual meeting on Thursday, Jan. 20 to let residents know about the status of plans to close the coal ash ponds at its Possum Point Power Station in Prince William County.

Under a Virginia law passed in 2019, Dominion must dispose of about 5 million tons of toxic coal ash that remains at the Dumfries power plant no later than 2034. The coal ash must be removed and either placed in a lined landfill on-site or off-site that meets current federal and state regulations or recycled.

The power plant is located next to the Potomac River and Quantico Creek.

Dominion has moved the ash from four of its former coal ash ponds at Possum Point into one pond located farther from the Potomac River. The remaining pond, known as “Pond D,” lacks the proper protective barrier that the 2019 law requires of landfills accepting coal ash in Virginia. Pond D contains about 4 million cubic yards of coal ash.

The Possum Point coal-fired power plant opened in 1948 and for decades the coal ash produced from the burning of coal sat in five mostly unlined ponds.

Coal ash is a term for several kinds of waste left over at power plants that burn coal and typically contains a number of substances harmful to human health, including arsenic, chromium, lead and mercury.

Possum Point no longer burns coal at any of its units. The plant has four generation units, two are natural gas-fired, one is oil-fired, and the fourth is a dual fired combined-cycle unit. Units 3 and 4 burned coal from 1955 through 2003, when they converted to burn natural gas. The station's two oldest units, Units 1 and 2, have been retired.

In a 2020 settlement agreement with Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, Dominion agreed to pay $1.4 million in fines after allegations that it violated seven state and federal environmental laws at Possum Point and its Chesterfield Power Station, including an instance where Dominion dumped more than 27 million gallons of polluted coal ash water into Quantico Creek.

At the Jan. 20 meeting, Dominion officials will share information about the available closure options for Pond D and solicit public feedback and answer questions. It will also review the short- and long-term effects of each option on surrounding communities.

Dominion said it will consider the input it receives from the public and share it with members of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors and other county personnel.

Residents can join the meeting by mobile device, tablet, or computer. They should download the Cisco WebEx Meetings app or go to https://dominionenergy.webex.com and enter the Meeting ID: 2331 690 6044. Attendees will be asked to enter their name, email and the event password, which is “Dominion2022.”

The public can also participate by phone by dialing 855-282-6330 and entering the access code, 2331 690 6044