ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. — Five years after nearly 40,000 tons of coal ash spilled into the Dan River, property owners living there have finally reached a settlement with Duke Energy.
Dozens who live in Rockingham County near Duke Energy's Steam Station filed the lawsuit after gray sludge coated riverbanks. Their lawyers say they suffered from one of the worst environmental disasters in our state's history.
On February 2, 2014, a stormwater pipe broke, releasing 39,000 tons of coal ash into the Dan River. Thirty-three property owners wanted Duke Energy to pay up for the massive spill, filing a lawsuit in 2017. They said Duke Energy knew about the dangers posed by the pipes and coal ash and said the spill lowered their property values.
That legal battle came to a close Wednesday with a settlement and the homeowners, compensated for the damages, but the terms have not been released.
A Duke Energy spokesperson responded with this statement:
"Years of scientific research demonstrates that the Dan River environment, ecosystem and neighboring agricultural lands were not impacted by the 2014 incident and recreational enjoyment of the river and surrounding area continues to grow, so we are pleased to put this issue behind us."
How is the Dan River now, five years after the spill?
We spoke with Jenny Edwards from the Dan River Basin Association, which promotes and cleans up the river, everything from taking water samples to checking on coal ash deposits.
"People in Rockingham County are nothing if not resilient," she said, "It's our understanding that the coal ash are sitting on the bottom, and sediment is kind of piling on top of it kind of just holding it in place. What I’m hearing repeatedly is that the coal ash spill has raised awareness of how important our rivers are to us."
She went on to say that Duke Energy has made major improvements since the spill, including clean ups, building trails and improving access to the river.
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