Columbia City Council talks plan to clean More’s Lake
It will take millions of dollars to clean up a pond Columbia no longer uses.
On Monday, the Columbia City Council discussed the nearly $8 million plan to clean out More’s Lake by the municipal power plant.
ABC 17 News told you when the EPA released new rules regarding how to handle burnt coal in bodies of water. Due to the high cost of meeting those rules, the city decided to outright stop burning coal, but needed to take More’s Lake out of service.
The plan involves scooping the remaining coal ash out of the lake and taking it to the city’s landfill. Utility director Tad Johnsen said it’s nearly 13,000 truckloads of ash in that pond, costing $1 million. The biggest cost, Johnsen said, will be landfill fees, meaning one city department will be paying another for the storage.
City council members and a member of the public questioned why staff wouldn’t sell the dried coal ash to construction or road crews. Street departments use the ash, known as cinders, to combat icy road conditions, while construction crews use it for fill on some projects.
Johnsen said right now, they just haven’t found anyone that wants it.
“As time goes by, we’re just getting started here, so we’ve got future year appropriations here, in a three-year project,” said Johnsen. “If something else comes along in the midst of this, we’re open to saving money on this project.”
Monday evening, the city council also approved to demolish two homes in central Columbia to reduce flooding in people’s homes. Asbestos removal will start soon, and demolition is expected to last six months.
