Community Impact of Coal Slurry Injection and a Successful Redevelopment Project

In much of Central Appalachia, waste from the processing of coal prior to market is disposed of by injection into old underground mine works or by impounding the waste behind earthen dams.  This has caused water contamination in some of the most impoverished areas of Appalachia.  The Sludge Safety Project has been engaging local residents for several years to empower the community to address this issue.  This session gives background to the issue, discusses community organizing that has occured, and presents possible solutions and alternatives to injection and impoundments.  The last part of the discussion focuses on the successful case study of a former gasification site in Grand Rapids, Michigan, now being used as a technology training center for a community college.  This portion of the discussion focuses on best practices used in that case and how those practices can be used to remediate former slurry injection sites.