NEW! NRG's Remedial Investigation (RI) Report for the Indian River Generating Station's Operable Unit No. 2 - Burton Island historical ash disposal area in Millsboro, Del. is now available here. Other related documents are available as follows:
The appendices for the remedial investigation report and other associated data may be reviewed on DNREC's Environmental Navigator (DEN) by searching for Site #1399 at: http://www.nav.dnrec.delaware.gov/DEN3/ Haven't used DEN before? Click here and follow these easy steps!
Additional Site Information:
The Indian River Power Plant is a 784-megawatt facility located near Millsboro that produces electricity, primarily from the combustion of coal. It is owned by NRG Energy, which operates a variety of energy-related operations worldwide.
In January 2009, DNREC and Indian River Power LLC, owner and operator of the Indian River power plant, reached a settlement based on a complaint filed by DNREC to resolve opacity (visible air contaminants such as smoke and dust) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) violations at the electricity generating plant in Sussex County.
As part of the settlement, Indian River Power will investigate and evaluate the opacity violations on Units 3 and 4, implement an optimization plan for the electrostatic precipitators (particulate control devices) for Units 1, 2, 3, and 4, and establish policies to minimize opacity and nitrogen oxides violations. The settlement will also require Indian River Power to purchase and provide to the Department an Ultrafine Particle Monitor and pay a civil penalty of $5,000.
In 2007, DNREC and NRG signed a consent decree consent decree requiring the facility to dramatically cut air pollutants by 2009. The Department issued a permit for the construction of the Phase II Industrial Landfill in October 2008. Construction of Cell 1 of the Phase II Landfill was completed in September 2010 and that cell is currently in use.
DNREC has also issued Acid Rain and Title V permits to the Indian River Power Plant permits.
In addition, DNREC's Site Investigation and Restoration Branch has issued a Final Plan of Remedial Action for Operable Units 1 & 3 for the adjacent Burton Island Ash Disposal Area. (Please see Secretary's Order No. 2008-A-0032 – Approval of Final Plan of Remedial Action for Burton Island Ash Disposal Area (Operable Units 1 & 3) in Millsboro.)
Burton Island is located adjacent to the Indian River Generating Station and consists of a peninsula formed between the Indian River to the north and Island Creek. The island was used for ash disposal from the Indian River Generating Station. Operable Unit 1 is Burton Island’s shoreline and intertidal zone areas and Operable Unit 3 is the subtidal sediments and nearby surface waters. Operable Unit 2 is the ash disposal area on the island.
A public hearing was held May 29, 2008 to obtain comments and testimony on the Proposed Plan of Remedial Action for Operable Units 1 & 3. The Order directs DNREC to adopt the Proposed Plan of Remedial Action as the Final Plan of Remedial Action for Operable Units 1 & 3. However, the Final Plan for Operable Units 1 & 3 will not be the final environmental remedy for Burton Island. Following additional investigation of the ash disposal area, DNREC will prepare a Proposed Plan of Remedial Action for Operable Unit 2 and will solicit additional public comment. For more information on the Final Plan and the Order, please contact Greg DeCowsky at (302) 395-2600.
For more information on the facility, please visit DNREC’s Environmental Navigator database Environmental Navigator and the Toxics Release Inventory Toxics Release Inventory.
The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) issued a report July 17, 2007, concerning a cancer cluster investigation in the Indian River area of Sussex County. The investigation was conducted in part as a response to community requests. The DPH study confirmed the existence of a statistical cancer cluster, but did not identify any increased rate of unusual cancers or cancer incidence among young people. DPH stated that, without further information, it was not possible to assign a cause to the cancer cluster.
One DPH recommendation for additional information included ambient air monitoring in the area of a large coal burning power plant (NRG) in the Indian River area. The NRG plant has been identified as a major source of fine particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5), and the citizens in the community identified this pollutant as a specific concern. The Air Surveillance Branch therefore initiated a short-term study using portable battery-operated monitors to determine PM2.5 concentrations in the Indian River area. The final report, Delaware Air Quality Management PM2.5 Indian River MiniVol Study, was released May 21, 2008.
