User:Madison.platow/Belews Lake
Belews Lake
Belews Lake is a reservoir in Stokes, Rockingham, Guilford and Forsyth counties of North Carolina, near the towns of Stokesdale and Pine Hall. It was created in 1973 by the Duke Energy corporation as a cooling basin for the corporation's Belews Creek Steam Station, a coal-burning power plant. Cooling water was pumped back and forth between the plant and reservoir until 1986 when the corporation decided to use other methods to dispose of their coal ash waste. From 1974-1986, contaminants such as vanadium, nickel, cobalt, barium, arsenic and most of all selenium were introduced into the lake through the release of contaminated cooling water from the power plant back into the lake. [1] Many scientific studies were undertaken at Belews Lake and their findings, along with those conducted at the Kesterson Reservoir, are fundamental to today's understanding of the ecological risks associated with introducing selenium to aquatic systems.
Background
The lake has a surface area of 3,864 acres (16 km2) and an 88-mile (142 km) shoreline. It is held back by a rolled earth dam and a concrete spillway. The northern portion of the lake commonly has depths of over 100 feet (30 m) and the lake reaches up to 130 feet (40 m) deep in the vicinity of the dam. There is no hydroelectric power generation at this dam, so the lake is not bound by many FERC regulations.
It was formed from Belews Creek, a small tributary of the Dan River. U.S. Route 158 and North Carolina Highway 65, as well as a number of secondary roads provide access to the lake. Boating and water skiing are common on the lake. Two marinas on the lake include Humphrey's Ridge, which has a grill that serves food, and Carolina Marina, which has boat sales and service facilities
Timeline
The power plant, Belews Creek Steam Station, was created by Duke Energy in 1973 with the purpose of providing energy for the surrounding towns[2]. Belews Lake was then created to serve as a source of cooling water for cooling each electrical unit.
Production of energy began in 1974 which was when water was first pumped from the reservoir. Contamination of the lake started after the first tons of coal ash were released into the water basin[2]. Many scientific studies were conducted at the lake between the late 1970s and through the 1980s and beyond and their findings inspired research at other sites to better understand the effects of selenium on aquatic systems. [3]
Use of Belews Lake as a cooling basin concluded in 1986 when Duke Energy decided to divert coal ash elsewhere[2]. Duke Energy still uses the Belews Creek Steam Station currently and is one of the most efficient coal plants in the United States while also being Duke Energy's largest plant.
Today, the lake is used as a recreational area where families can partake in marine recreational activities such as jet skiing, swimming and fishing [4]. As of September 17th, 2020, Forsyth County, NC was awarded the North Carolina Land and Water Fund Grant to purchase the lake property from Duke Energy. [5]
Contamination
Belews Lake was contaminated with selenium as a result of the repeated release of wastewater generated by the adjacent Duke Energy coal-fired power plant into the lake beginning in 1974.[2] Selenium, when ingested in large amounts, becomes toxic to animals including humans. Selenium bioaccumulates up the food web meaning the highest levels of selenium are found within organisms that are top predators, such as carnivorous fish[6]. Elevated levels of selenium cause reproductive and teratogenic defects in fish populations and also inhibit gill, liver, kidney, heart, and eye function. [6]
The number of species of fish in the main basin of Belews Lake fell from 24 to 6 between 1975 and 2002. [7] One explanation for the decrease in species diversity is the sharp decline in reproduction rates of piscivorous fish, such as Largemouth bass and Green sunfish, after 1975 following the introduction of selenium rich coal ash sluice into the lake.[7] The species composition of the lake changed from a mix of fish species at several trophic levels to a near complete dominance by fish at lower trophic levels that consume plankton and are not greatly impacted by selenium bioaccumulation.[7]
Hundreds of analyses were run at Belews Lake as part of an 1988 study measuring potentially hazardous substances in the lake such as metals, metalloids, and pesticides, in addition to the measuring of other physiochemical properties, but none were found to be of a level of concern except for selenium.[3] This led the scientists to conclude that selenium was the direct cause of fish kills in the lake[3]. Selenium was found to be the only inorganic element of an elevated concentration among the 16 elements that were measured in a 1985 review[3].
In 1986, the coal-fired power plant stopped releasing selenium rich wastewater into the lake and instead sent dry ash waste to a landfill for disposal.[6] In the following years, sport fish, like Bluegill and Largemouth bass, were stocked and were successfully re-established in the lake. Selenium concentrations in the water were measured at less than 1 microgram per liter in 1996 compared to a high of 20 micrograms per liter during the period of selenium loading into the system. Additionally, selenium concentrations in fish tissues were found to be 85 to 95% lower in 1996 compared to the conditions while selenium was still being released into the lake.[6] Despite the decrease in selenium concentrations in the water and in fish tissue, reproductive impairment was still observed in fish ten years after the wastewater release was halted. Additionally, the presence of high selenium concentrations in sediments at the bottom of the lake pose risk for reintroduction into the lake's food web if there were a disturbance event like a storm that mobilized the sediments.[6]
Other Ecological Concerns
In 2011, a species of bass called Alabama bass was illegally introduced to Belews Lake for sportfishing[8]. In 2017, a dramatic decrease in the Largemouth bass population in Belews Lake was observed while the number of invasive Alabama bass rose quickly[8]. There are concerns that Smallmouth bass may also be extirpated from the lake because of interbreeding and competition with Alabama Bass[8]. To address this issue, North Carolina officials eliminated catch limits on the number and size of Alabama bass that can be caught from Belews Lake to help mitigate the ecological damage these invasive fish cause.[8]
Remediation
Belews Lake has not had a rich history of remediation. This is due in part to the lake being manmade and not a naturally occurring body of water, so certain regulations do not apply to them. It also has to do with the fact that it does not have to adhere to FERC regulations due to the specific energy and power created on the lake.
There was little to no remediation done in the decades when the plant first opened in 1974. When the lake was first created, both the lake itself and surrounding ash ponds were unlined and thus able to permeate and pollute surrounding ecosystems with the coal ash that came from the plant itself. Selenium was able to leach the land and water as a result causing damage. Since it was not held to any specific regulations or standards, this practice continued on for the past few decades until the 2010s.
The largest efforts have been the early 2010s with a rise in environmental protests and greater scope of information available to the public on environmental effects. In 2012, the Southern Environmental Law Center and local residents sued Duke Energy to clean up the coal ash in the local area, as well as to shut down all coal basins by 2030[9]. Currently, Duke Energy must follow strict EPA guidelines and standards regarding selenium deposits, as well as to follow North Carolina's Coal Ash Management Act (CAMA[9]). Duke Energy must test and report any pollution detected from coal ash pits across their land[9]
There are some plans for future remediation of the lake. In 2020, Duke Energy agreed that they will remove 80 million tons of coal ash from the surrounding ponds at the Belews Creek Steam Station[10] after litigation from SELC and local residents that started in 2012. The company will have until 2027 for smaller ponds and 2039 for larger sites to remediate the coal ash deposits[10].
More remediation efforts are likely to happen in the upcoming decades to continue the drain any existing selenium from the ecosystem.
Bibliography
- ^ "Protecting Our Water from Power Plant Pollution" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d Lemly, A. Dennis (August 28, 1996). "Ecosystem Recovery Following Selenium Contamination in a Freshwater Reservoir".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d Hamilton, Steven J. (2004-06-29). "Review of selenium toxicity in the aquatic food chain". Science of The Total Environment. 326 (1): 1–31. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2004.01.019. ISSN 0048-9697.
- ^ "Belews Creek Lake Highlights". NCLakeFront. 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Update on Potential Belews Lake Park Site". Forsyth County, North Carolina.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e Lemly, A. Dennis (2002-04-01). "Symptoms and implications of selenium toxicity in fish: the Belews Lake case example". Aquatic Toxicology. State of Science and Future Needs for Selenium Aquatic Criteria. 57 (1): 39–49. doi:10.1016/S0166-445X(01)00264-8. ISSN 0166-445X.
- ^ a b c Browne, Robert A.; Lutz, David (2010-11-01). "Lake ecosystem effects associated with top-predator removal due to selenium toxicity". Hydrobiologia. 655 (1): 137–148. doi:10.1007/s10750-010-0416-3. ISSN 1573-5117.
- ^ a b c d kenwyn.caranna@greensboro.com, Kenwyn Caranna. "Invasive bass species poses threat to native largemouth and smallmouth bass in Belews Lake". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
- ^ a b c Wireback, Taft. "N.C. DEQ says recent Belews Creek contaminated groundwater filing is not troubling". Winston-Salem Journal.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Duke Energy to Remove Belews Creek Coal Ash". The Stokes News.
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