Flooding: Dam breach at Duke plant; coal ash could spill
WILMINGTON, N.C. — Florence’s floodwaters breached a dam holding back a large reservoir at a Wilmington power plant Friday, and coal ash from an adjacent dump could be flowing into the nearby Cape Fear River.
Duke Energy spokeswoman Paige Sheehan said the utility doesn’t believe the breach at the L.V. Sutton Power Station poses a significant threat of increased flooding to nearby communities.
Floodwaters breached several points overnight in the earthen dam at Sutton Lake, the plant’s 1,100-acre (445-hectare) reservoir. Lake water then flooded one of three large coal ash dumps lining the lakeshore.
Sheehan said the company can’t rule out that ash might be escaping the flooded dump into the river.