Location
Eden, NC; Danville, VA; S. Boston, VA
P&J Role
Prime Contractor
Completion Date
August 2014
Eden, NC; Danville, VA; S. Boston, VA
Prime Contractor
August 2014
On February 2, 2014, a stormwater pipe beneath the primary ash pond located at the Duke Energy Carolinas retired Dan River Steam Station failed resulting in the release of +30,000 tons of coal combustion residuals (CCR) into the adjacent Dan River. The released material subsequently migrated downstream and was deposited in several locations along the banks and bottom of the Dan River.
P&J was retained by Duke Energy Carolinas to accomplish recovery and disposal of CCR and contaminated sediment from a sandbar located approximately two miles downstream from the release site where Town Creek intersects with the Dan River in North Carolina, at the Schoolfield Dam and municipal water treatment plant located in Danville, Virginia, and at the municipal water treatment plant located in South Boston, Virginia. Tons of material was removed at the Schoolfield Dam site and from the other project locations.
Recovery of material at the Schoolfield Dam was accomplished using an 8″, barge-mounted hydraulic dredge while material at the other project sites was recovered using excavators. The mixture of CCR, sediment, and water at all work sites was moved onshore where it was de-watered. Residual water was then transferred to a clarification tank to separate suspended CCR and sediment in the water which was subsequently returned to the Dan River. The final step of the process involved loading of the recovered CCR and sediment into sealed, 10-ton roll-off containers. The loaded containers were then transported to a Subtitle D permitted landfill located in Person County, North Carolina, for disposal. All operations were performed under the direction of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in conjunction with state and other federal agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.