Duke Energy North Carolina coal ash pond floods after Hurricane Matthew

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Duke Energy’s Salisbury, North Carolina, coal ash pond has overflown due to Hurricane Matthew, a report by The Enrvironmental Leader says. The overflow spilled into North Carolina’s section of the Neuse River.

After investigations, Duke Energy and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality discovered the spill was insignificant and the pond was inactive, the report says. The company is responsible for the coal ash site that uses the pond.

North Carolina environmental regulators requested that Duke Energy submit an action plan to address further overflow from the pond, the report says, including taking soil and surface water samples to determine any contamination.

Currently, coal ash is buried in landfills, but Duke Energy recently announced plans to recycle the coal ash from its North Carolina basins.