Avon Lake Power Plant Redevelopment: Why Transparency is Critical

For decades, the Avon Lake power plant has been a cornerstone of our community’s industrial landscape. Now, with its rezoning and redevelopment in progress, the future of this site demands more attention than ever before. However, transparency in this process has been lacking, and that could have dire consequences for the health, safety, and property values of Avon Lake residents. The question isn’t whether redevelopment should happen, but rather how it should happen—and whether the City and ALERG (Avon Lake Environmental Redevelopment Group) are being honest and proactive in safeguarding our community.

The Real Issue: Lack of Oversight and Accountability

As it stands, the power plant parcels north of Lake Road are set to be rezoned, but without clear control or oversight, this process is already showing cracks. The only mechanism that can guarantee the proper environmental cleanup of the old power plant lies in the land use agreement pathway—a legal framework to ensure the site is remediated in a way that won’t harm our community in the long term. But instead of engaging in transparent discussions and setting clear, enforceable guidelines, both ALERG and the City Administration have adopted an “everything is fine, trust us” stance.

This dismissive approach is not only irresponsible—it’s dangerous. The environmental issues surrounding the power plant, including Mercury contamination and coal yard runoff, need to be fully addressed, not swept under the rug.

The History: A Century of Environmental Harm

The Avon Lake power plant started operations in 1926 and with its long history of coal-fired energy production, it has also been a source of environmental damage. Before the Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972, the plant discharged millions of gallons of toxic wastewater directly into Lake Erie, contaminating the surrounding waters and sediment with heavy metals and hazardous chemicals. The long concrete conduit extending into the lake, Powder Maker Creek, was a key outlet for these pollutants, which included arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and other harmful byproducts.

Even after the implementation of the CWA, toxic waste water was still being discharged into Lake Erie but at a reduced rate and violations occurred where discharges exceeded the CWA limits. But the threat isn’t limited to the lake—the soil surrounding the power plant is also at risk of contamination.

Coal-fired power plants generate coal ash, a toxic byproduct filled with hazardous substances like lead, arsenic, and mercury. Over nearly a century of operations, it's highly likely that coal ash and other contaminants have seeped into the soil around the power plant. Coal ash ponds, where this waste is often stored, can leak into the surrounding ground, and runoff from the coal storage yard can spread pollutants across the site.

The soil near the power plant may now be laden with dangerous chemicals, presenting ongoing risks for groundwater contamination and impacting nearby ecosystems. This means that even after the plant is removed, the surrounding land could remain a toxic hazard unless properly remediated.

The potential contamination of both the soil and sediment in Lake Erie underscores the importance of thorough environmental cleanup efforts. Without transparency and clear action from both ALERG and the City, we risk leaving behind an environmental time bomb that could affect generations to come.

May 2023 Clean Water Act Violation

In May of 2023, ALERG (Avon Lake Environmental Redevelopment Group) violated the Clean Water Act by discharging excessive levels of mercury into Lake Erie. This violation wasn’t publicly disclosed by ALERG. I discovered the violation myself while reviewing the EPA website. According to Scott Cameron, eight samples were taken in May, and ALERG was unable to bring mercury levels into compliance throughout the entire month. This was not an isolated event, as ALERG has claimed, but an ongoing issue. ALERG was forced to stop the discharge of ash pond water into the lake because they were unable to bring the mercury levels into compliance.

This violation raises serious concerns about the transparency and accountability of both ALERG and the City of Avon Lake in managing the environmental risks at the site.

It’s important to understand that the coal ash ponds around the power plant hold a limited amount of water. During the following seven months, Avon Lake experienced substantial amounts of rainfall which created a serious problem for ALERG because the ash ponds were filling with water but ALERG was not able to discharge water into the lake because they hadn’t yet resolved the mercury level in the pond water. Where did all the pond water go?

Unmonitored Discharges into Lake Erie

ALERG has been discharging water from the ponds directly into Lake Erie without the proper Clean Water Act permit or monitoring. This contaminated water is flowing through the Avon Lake stormwater system unchecked. The risk of pollutants like mercury, coal ash byproducts, and heavy metals entering our lake—undetected and unregulated—poses a direct threat to the safety of our water and our community’s health.

How did this happen? After seven months of no discharge from the ponds, the ponds were full and ALERG desperately needed to discharge. The solution was to connect the ponds to the city storm water system and discharge the ponds into the lake. ALERG claimed that the coal yard was remediated according to “EPA standards”, the Ohio EPA Voluntary Action Program (VAP), and therefore by proxy the pond water was able to be discharged into the lake without a CWA permit. It’s obvious where this is all going. The coal yard VAP remediation ALERG claimed to have done was a lie. The Ohio EPA VAP docket has no record of ALERG ever registering the power plant for the VAP program.

According to Avon Lake ordinances only the city storm water manager is able to approve connections to the city storm water system. Chris Howard, the city storm water manager, claims that he did not approve ALERG connecting the ponds to the city storm water system. We have documentation that Avon Lake Regional Water (ALRW) Rob Monroe approved the pond connection to the storm water system without having the authority to do so. As a result, the ponds full of water with high mercury levels were discharged into the lake and continue to do so today. After repeated requests Mayor Spaetzel refuses to disconnect the ponds from the city storm water system.

Why Transparency Matters

Transparency in the redevelopment of the Avon Lake power plant site isn’t just about good governance—it’s about protecting the health and future of our community. Both ALERG and the City Administration have consistently downplayed the environmental concerns surrounding this project, leaving residents in the dark about the true risks.

What You Can Do Today

The time for passive acceptance is over. We, as a community, must demand transparency and accountability from both ALERG and the City Administration. This means staying informed, raising our voices, and holding those in charge to their promises.

Here’s how you can take action today:

1. Demand the root cause analysis of the May 2023 Clean Water Act violation.

2. Demand the risk assessment conducted before ALERG connected the coal yard runoff pond to the city’s stormwater system.

3. Demand An explanation of what happened to the coal yard runoff during the seven months it was shut down due to uncontrolled mercury levels. Where did this contaminated water go, and why wasn’t the public informed?

Worst-Case Scenario: Health Risks and Declining Property Values

The lack of transparency and oversight could have dire consequences. Without proper environmental remediation, we could see rising cancer rates and other health issues due to prolonged exposure to mercury, coal ash, and other toxins. Property values in Avon Lake are also at risk; no one wants to invest in or live near an environmentally compromised site.

This is not just about numbers on a page—it’s about the future of our community. If we continue to let ALERG and the City Administration operate without accountability, we may be facing the prospect of Avon Lake becoming a hazardous, undesirable place to live.

The Status of the Power Plant Redevelopment is Clear:

1. There has been no transparency from the City Administration or ALERG.

2. Neither party has fulfilled its commitments to safeguard our community.

3. The environmental impact could be severe, threatening both our health and our property values.

We must act now to secure a safe and healthy future for Avon Lake. Let’s demand the transparency and accountability we deserve.