Prairie Rivers Network Suing Dynegy To Clean Coal Ash Pits Along Vermilion River
The bank of the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River. Prairie Rivers Network
A local environmental group is suing Dynegy to force the energy company to clean coal ash pits along the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River west of Danville.
The non-profit environmental law group Earthjustice filed the suit on behalf of Prairie Rivers Network Wednesday morning in U.S. District Court in Urbana.
Earthjustice attorney Jenny Cassel said samples taken from the river near the coal ash pits have repeatedly shown levels of contaminants higher than the state and federal EPA allow.
“When you come across the ash pits, it’s an absolute drastic with the nearby and other areas of the Vermilion River because of the bright orangey, reddish, purple colors that quite unnaturally are flowing into the river at that point,” Cassel said.
A spokesperson for Dynegy referred WILL to its parent company Vistra Energy for comment. Vistra has not yet returned that request for comment about the lawsuit.
Hear more from Earthjustice attorney Jenny Cassel Thursday in an interview during Morning Edition on WILL.
You can read Earthjustice's court filing on behalf of Prairie Rivers Network below: