Location

A proposed change to the FirstEnergy Lake Shore Plant’s wastewater discharge permit will be the focus of a January 21, 2010, Ohio EPA public meeting in Cleveland. The information session and public hearing will begin at 6 p.m. at the Horizon Science Academy, 6000 South Marginal Road.

Ohio EPA has issued a proposed permit modification for FirstEnergy’s discharge of mercury at its power plant located at 6800 Marginal Road in Cleveland. The Lake Shore Plant’s wastewater discharge to Lake Erie averages 2.9 parts per trillion (ppt) of mercury, higher than the 1.3 ppt average concentration limit required in its existing permit. To achieve the 1.3 ppt discharge limit, the facility would have to install extremely costly technology that would result in a substantial economic impact to the company. Ohio EPA has evaluated the cost and feasibility of this approach and determined that a more effective way to lower the mercury impact is to reduce the amount of mercury being put into the wastewater system. Therefore, in order to receive a variance from the mercury limit, FirstEnergy would be required to identify the sources of mercury that go to its plant and take steps to minimize the mercury releases from those sources.

More information.