Minnesota Power says 1 million gallons of coal wastewater leaked
Minnesota Power says it is working with both state and federal agencies after detecting a discharge of ash wastewater. (Supplied)
Cohasset, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Duluth-based electric utility company says it uncovered a leak that sent coal wastewater into a lake in central Minnesota.
Minnesota Power says it is working with both state and federal agencies after detecting a discharge of ash wastewater at its Boswell Energy Center in Cohasset, Minnesota.
According to officials, the leak occurred from a pipeline that transfers wastewater from an inactive coal combustion residual pond to the plant for processing water.
It’s estimated that 1 million gallons of ash wastewater flowed from the leak, over land and an undisclosed amount reached Blackwater Lake in Woodrow Township.
The leak has been contained, officials say, and Minnesota Power continues to monitor potential impacts on surface water and wildlife.
Minnesota Power provides electric service within a 26,000-square-mile area in northeastern Minnesota, for roughly 150,000 customers and 14 municipalities.
The Boswell plant is Minnesota Power's largest electricity production source, with two operating coal-fired units capable of producing 932 megawatts of electricity.
As part of a transition to carbon-free power, Minnesota Power has said it intends to retire one of its units in 2030, and the other around 2035, to meet its goal by 2040.