NC0004987_Comments_20221205

Jake Monti
153 Seagrove Ln
Mooresville, NC 28117
12/5/2022
Derek Denard
NC DEQ
217 West Jones St.
Raleigh, NC 27603
Dear Derek Dinard
I am writing this letter as a concerned citizen/resident of Mooresville NC. I have lived on
Lake Norman for five years as well as fished on the lake for 10 years. Since I began
visiting the lake in 2012, 1 have always been curious about the Marshall steam plant
near highway 150 and the effects it has on the surrounding areas. Now that I live in
Mooresville only 3 miles away from the steam plant, I have begun doing more research
on the plant. Since I have been researching, I have discovered the numerous effects of
the coal ash waste as well as the reports of radiation in groundwater via Duke Power
well samples.

This is very important because both products of the Marshall Steam plant can have
negative effects on the people inhabiting Lake Norman and surrounding areas. There
were reports of increased thyroid cancer outbreaks up to three times the yearly average
in Mooresville in 2019 due to coal ash being produced from the steam plant(Coal ash
pollution: North Carolina mom dips into possible cancer cause {usatoda,.com_',. In 2018
Duke Power released its water testing samples and revealed levels of radioactivity 2.5
times the federal drinking water standard. This is sparked from the ash ponds
surrounding the Marshall Steam plant that leak into our surface/groundwater(Radiation
Confirmed in Ground Water Around Lake Norman - Charlotte Stories).
Possible consequences of not fixing this problem are increased contamination to
greater areas. If we don't get a hold on this problem, we risk contaminating areas much
farther from the source of the problem including many regions downstream of Lake
Norman including areas of Lake Wylie, Lake Wateree, and other smaller watersheds.
This means risking more outbreaks of cancer as well as other illnesses just like the
ones we have already seen in Mooresville but on a much larger scale.
My request is that between all the surrounding cities of the Marshall steam plant, as well
as the NCDEQ, that we force Duke Power to create an alternative option for disposing
and or containing its coal ash that it produces. The current procedures they follow are
completely unacceptable and we will continue to see more and more people develop
illnesses by simply drinking the water from the tap inside their homes. We must find a
way to stop power plants from contaminating our basic necessities.

Thank you for your time and hearing of my citizen concern.
Sincerely,
Jake Monti