Written by Brittany McCubbin
In 2023, the Ohio River was second on the list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers.
This river is the backdrop to both Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati. It is the background for our baseball, football, and soccer games. It is the home of 150 species of fish and supports the habitats of many other animals. The Ohio River splits off into multiple waterways that Kentuckians also use for water sports, fishing, swimming, irrigation for farming and more. Five million of us drink it.
The U.S EPA is trying to roll back regulations regarding wastewater pollutants and weaken coal ash disposal safeguards. Coal ash is produced from the burning of coal in coal-fired power plants. If you’re like me, you may not know where the plants are that use coal for power in Kentucky. Our state is home to 20 of these sites, most of which are right along the Ohio River. Duke Energy alone has two by the river, with one in Kentucky near Rabbit Hash and one in Ohio along the Eastern border of Northern Kentucky. There are multiple other plants that use coal on the Indiana and Ohio sides of the river, just opposite us.
The river is already polluted enough. Industries self-regulating and promising that they are not dumping coal ash into the rivers will only further pollute our river. At 91% of coal ash sites, the water is polluted above federal safety standards. Instead of enforcing the safety standards, the EPA is now trying to weaken them. Northern Kentucky thrives off of the Ohio River, and this will destroy the quality of our water even more.
The EPA states that electric power plants discharge a lot of wastewater containing pollutants such as mercury and arsenic that can cause “severe health and environmental problems in the form of cancer and non-cancer risks in humans.” The power companies are trying to step away from the consequences of their industry. The effects of coal ash disposal on the surrounding communities needs to be monitored. Our waterways are not dumping grounds. Imagine drinking water with pollutants known to lower IQ and increase risk of cancer. Imagine your children playing in it.
We need to protect our river and Northern Kentucky’s water. You can submit public comments through the EPA’s website until June 29th, 2026.
