Gadsden Coal Ash Pond Closure and Contamination Issue

closed but ongoing contamination

The coal ash pond at the shuttered Alabama Power coal plant in Gadsden, Alabama, has been closed and capped since 2018 but continues to leak toxic metals such as arsenic and cobalt into the nearby groundwater. Environmental groups have issued a legal threat against Alabama Power for ongoing pollution under federal waste management laws. The company has used a cap-in-place method rather than relocating the ash, which critics argue fails to prevent groundwater contamination.