Too much hot Water for Coal--proposed Coleto Creek coal expansion

From the Sierra Club:

WHO:   State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH), Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality (TCEQ), Coleto Creek Power LP, and Citizens for a
Clean Environment

WHAT:  Preliminary Hearing in a Contested Case Protesting a TCEQ Permit to
DOUBLE THE VOLUME OF WASTEWATER EFFLUENT DISCHARGED BY THE COLETO CREEK COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT

Notice available online --
http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/comm_exec/opa/calendar.html#WQ0002159000

WHEN:  Wednesday, June 10
 9:30 AM -- Meet w/Citizens for a Clean Environment before the hearing
10:00 AM -- Hearing Begins

WHERE:  Goliad County Courthouse, Goliad

The State Office of Administrative Hearings is conducting a preliminary
hearing in a contested case over a wastewater discharge permit for the
proposed expansion of the Coleto Creek Power LP coal plant in Goliad County.
The draft permit, which would be issued by the TCEQ, would authorize Coleto
Creek Power LP to more than double the amount of wastewater effluent that
could be discharged directly into Coleto Creek Reservoir, which is part of
Coleto Creek in the Guadalupe River Basin.  The doubling of the wastewater
effluent discharge would be to accommodate the building and operation of an
additional proposed coal-fired unit at the power plant.

You are invited to attend the pre-hearing meeting and the hearing itself to
learn more about this issue.

PLEASE NOTE: The contested case process is a legal proceeding similar to a
civil trial in state district court, and this preliminary hearing is to
determine which individuals or groups will be admitted formally as "parties"
in the proceeding.  The group Citizens for a Better Environment is an
organization that will be seeking "party status" in this proceeding.  Being
a party in a contested case usually requires legal representation and
carries with it certain legal obligations.  We are not recommending that you
seek party status unless you feel that you would be directly affected by the
issuance of this wastewater discharge permit and have the resources to
participate. HOWEVER, the hearing is open to the public, and this is an
opportunity for you to become informed about this important issue.

Coleto Creek coal plant already uses and discharges 557 MILLION GALLONS of
WATER EVERY DAY for cooling purposes.  Now they want to burn more coal and
increase the water used for cooling and thus discharged to the lake to 1.155
BILLION GALLONS PER DAY!!!  This is a huge increase in wastewater effluent
discharges, which could significantly affect the reservoir and Coleto Creek.

The Coleto Creek coal plant application is also requesting to increase the
temperature of the effluent discharged into Coleto Creek Reservoir!
Concerns have been raised that the lake is already too hot and that the
current temperature of the water endangers the wildlife and other beneficial
organisms living in the lake by increasing the growth of algae and other
aquatic plants that consume too much oxygen from the water.

Thus, there are important environmental reasons for us to support our
friends in Citizens for a Clean Environment.  [The Sierra Club is
concentrating on contesting the air pollution permit for the proposed
expansion of the Coleto Creek coal-fired power plant while other groups
focus on issues such as the wastewater discharge permit.]

We do not need to build new coal plants.

There is a better way forward, and communities in Dewitt, Goliad, Victoria,
and Nueces Counties can get on board the clean energy train.

For example, Sierra Club is working with the State Energy Conservation
Office (SECO) and the Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs to
help communities around the state take advantage of the federal economic
stimulus funds available for implementing energy efficiency and using
renewable power sources.  The deadline for applying for some of the
weatherization funds is this month.  If you are interested to make sure your
community is getting its due funding for implementing energy efficiency and
building renewable power, contact the Sierra Club's Lone Star Chapter
Conservation Director Cyrus Reed at 512-477-1729 or at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , and he will provide more information about
encouraging your local government to pursue these economic stimulus funds.

Together -- by working on a variety of fronts - we can move beyond coal to
conserve our water resources, build clean power and green jobs, and clean up
the air in Texas.

Ken Kramer
Director
Lone Star Chapter Sierra Club
512-477-1729
www.texas.sierraclub.org/