New regulations could reduce water pollution from power plants

New procedures have been proposed by federal environmental regulators in the US that could help to reduce water pollution created by power plants that operate close to waterways. The proposals could help to limit the amount of toxic waste that is discharged by certain power plants. Proposals were in accordance with a consent order issued in a lawsuit against the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and should be phased in between 2017 and 2022.

The new regulations update standards detailed within the Clean Water Act and incorporate technological advances that have been made since the implementation of the Act in 1982.

Plants that use steam to generate electricity will most likely be affected by the proposed regulations. These power plants are responsible for over half of the pollutants that make their way into waterways and lakes within the US. These pollutants often contain toxic particulates, such as mercury and arsenic that are linked to both physical damage and neurological diseases.

The new regulations target the toxic heavy metals released by power plants as they do not naturally break down. Because these pollutants do not disperse naturally, they can severely damage animal life.

The EPA has estimated that no additional costs will be met by coal-fired plants when the new regulations are enforced. However, this may change once the phasing in of the regulations begins. The EPA has said that the new regulations could reduce toxic discharges to 2.62 billion pounds a year - a reduction of 470 million pounds. Water use could also be reduced by at least 50 billion gallons every year.

Jenna Garland, deputy press secretary for the Sierra Club's southeast and south central divisions, said: "More than half of all toxic water pollution in the US comes from coal plants, and currently four out of five coal-fired power plants have no limits on the amount of toxics they're allowed to dump into our waterways."