This is the WFHB Local News for Tuesday, January 18th, 2022.

Later in the program, we have a Few Minutes with the Mayor - a biweekly segment where we ask Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton about community issues. More in today’s feature report.

Also coming up in the next half hour, the EPA recently announced that it will enforce pollution regulations onto Indiana’s coal fired power plants in order to stop groundwater contamination. WFHB’s Nathaniel Weinzapfel has more in the bottom half of our show.

Monroe County Stormwater Management Board

At the Monroe County Stormwater Management Board meeting on January 12th, MS4 Coordinator Kelsey Thetonia introduced the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding between the Monroe County Stormwater Management Board and the Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Soil and Water Conservation District Manager, Martha Miller shared the work they have been doing that the MOU helps support.

Board member Trohn Enright-Randolph suggested that the application form for the grants could be more efficient in the future and noted that the program has really improved over the years.

The next Monroe County Stormwater Management Board meeting will be on February 9th.

Monroe County Commissioners

During public comment at the Monroe County Commissioners meeting on January 12th, county resident Margaret Elements thanked the commissioners for listening to their constituents about the annexation of county lands into the city of Bloomington.

The commissioners heard from Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative Coordinator, Christine McAfee about a grant the Probation Department received.

Commissioner Penny Githens supported the work the grant would help fulfill.

The next county commissioners meeting will be held on January 19th.

Indiana's Toxic Ash Ponds

 Nathaniel Weinzapfel

The EPA recently announced that it will enforce pollution regulations onto Indiana’s coal fired power plants in order to stop groundwater contamination. WFHB Environmental News Correspondent Nathaniel Weinzapfel discusses what this means for both the environment and Indiana residents.

Last week, the United States Environmental Protection Agency announced that coal-fired power plants throughout the country must clean the coal-ash waste that is a byproduct of the burning of coal. According to the Agency, there are roughly 500 unprotected coal-ash ponds across the country that have the potential to leak dangerous chemicals into the groundwater, including chemicals such as arsenic and mercury. This includes the Indiana-Kentucky Electric Corporation’s Clifty Creek power plant in Madison, Indiana and Duke Energy's Gallagher Generating Station in New Albany. This announcement represents a change in policy, as the EPA of the Biden Administration is once again emphasizing regulations that were not as strongly pushed under the previous administration. This move is likely to make the water in Indiana, specifically along the state’s many rivers and streams, safer and cleaner, for both humans and the environment.

According to the Indianapolis Star, there are a total of 18 coal-fired power plants around the state that have a combined amount of 80 coal ash ponds. More than half of all the electricity generation in the state comes from these power plants. In the process of generating electricity through the burning of coal, coal ash is produced. The ash is collected from both the smaller particles that get captured by pollution control devices at the top of smokestacks and the heavier particles that remain after the coal is combusted. Coal ash is particularly dangerous due to the toxic chemicals that make up the substance. Based on research from the Physicians for Social Responsibility,