Rock Springs Elementary, in Denver, NC, is a century old school.
In 1993, part of the school burned down.
In 1995 & 96, new buildings were built.
At the same time, Duke Energy used the school as an experimental site for training, to install a geo-thermal injection well heating system.
Duke Energy dug 300 injection wells at the school.
Duke filled these well trenches back in, with radioactive, toxic coal ash.
Note the injection wells dug like rows of trenches. You can almost follow some of these trenches, by the lines of high radiation levels.
Records for Duke Energy’s injection well project at Rock Springs Elementary can be found at the NC Dept of Water Resources records id #WI0300037
And id #WI0300098
There are three types of coal ash fills, at Rock Springs Elementary.
*Coal ash structural fill using bottom ash
*Coal ash structural fill using coal ash rejects
*Coal ash flowable fill
There are several records for the ash fills at the school. This one comes from the NCDEQ Coal Ash Structural Fill Map. Note the name of the town is incorrect.
In 2023, I spoke with Brandy Costner about this site. At the time, Brandy was head of coal ash landfills and reuse, for the NCDEQ Mooresville Regional Office. They are in charge of coal ash at coal fired plant and structural fills, in eleven NC counties.
Brandy confirmed this coal ash fill is Rock Springs in Denver. Brandy also confirmed this site has never had any type of inspection for coal ash exposure. It should have had one every decade.
These records come from an e-mail to local Mooresville politicians in 2019, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
The coal ash came from the Marshall Steam Station coal fired plant. We already know that there is radium 226 & 228 groundwater contamination at Marshall. We have also tested coal ash from several other coal ash fills, where the ash came from Marshall. Every one of those samples came back with high levels of radium, along with dozens of heavy metals, like arsenic.
I’ve never seen anything like the high levels of radiation, that we found across Rock Springs Elementary.
There were very few areas within normal radiation level ranges.
We are reading microroentgens per hour.
When you click on a reading, it’s the 3rd number, right before uR/h.
A normal level for the area is between 4 to 10 uR/h.
Almost the entire school is reading between 15 to 27 uR/h.
Each track is color coded from low to high. Blues to reds. This does not mean blue is always safe, or red is always dangerous. It just means lowest to highest, for that track. Which is why you need to understand the numbers.
You may also find it helpful to uncheck tracks, and look at 1 or 2 at a time.
Every time we have tested coal ash at other fills, with levels over 17uR/h, the samples all came back with high levels of radium.
I’m sure if we test Rock Springs Elementary, we will find the same.
Full interactive radiation map
I believe the contamination is widespread throughout water and wells in Sherrills Ford area. I was diagnosed with thyroid decease and turned into Thyroid cancer, I’ve had lots of health issues since.
I’m so sorry to hear that. There are high levels of that type, beside all 14 contaminated coal fired plants in NC. There is a study going on, but I haven’t seen where they are taking the plants into consideration. Only makes sense that it’s the radiation from the coal ash.
We already know there is radium 226 & 228 groundwater contamination at Marshall. That’s the same thing we have been finding at the coal ash structural fills. The ash at those fills came from the Marshall plant. Like the coal ash in Reed Creek, and at the Tutor Time day care, in Mooresville. We also know they tested wells for a half mile radius around Marshall, & the other five plants that are under order of partial cleanup. All came back contaminated. Half a mile is all they were required to test. I’m sure it’s much farther.
Then there’s the neighborhoods around Marshall, that were developed by their home building arm, Crescent Resources. I have a strong hunch there will eventually be ash found in some of those. Crescent & other home builders were allowed to use the coal ash for structural fill.