Geochemical assessment of the suitability of converting a coal-fired power plant reservoir to a drinking-water reservoir
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Abstract
There is an increasing need for additional water storage in the United States, especially in arid regions. Alternatives like decommissioned power plant raw-water reservoirs would be cheaper to use than creating new reservoirs; however, the biogeochemical pollution risk of these reservoirs is not well understood. The San Juan Generating Station power plant and the associated reservoir will be used as a sediment-settling basin to store drinking water. To evaluate whether the reservoir is appropriate for this use, inorganic and organic constituents of concern were measured in reservoir sediment cores, pore water, and reservoir water in 2020. Forty-six percent of sediment arsenic concentrations measured in core subsamples (8 to 12 mg/kg) were slightly above the New Mexico residential cancer threshold for soil of 7.07 mg/kg. One sediment sample contained elevated total barium concentrations (6020 mg/kg). The organic compounds analyzed were either below detection limits or below regulatory thresholds. Reservoir water had one sample with arsenic greater than the drinking water standard (10 µg/L). Overall, the reservoir sediment inorganic and organic analyte concentrations are within acceptable ranges. The few samples that have elevated concentrations are not of a sufficient magnitude that dilution and/or treatment processes would preclude the use of the reservoir for water storage. Our findings show potential for use of former coal power station raw-water reservoirs as drinking-water reservoirs after plant closure.
Suggested Citation
Blake, J., Ferguson, C.L., Brown, J., and Mixon, R., 2025, Geochemical assessment of the suitability of converting a coal-fired power plant reservoir to a drinking-water reservoir: Lake and Reservoir Management, v. 41, no. 1, p. 41-58, https://doi.org/10.1080/10402381.2025.2452543.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Geochemical assessment of the suitability of converting a coal-fired power plant reservoir to a drinking-water reservoir |
| Series title | Lake and Reservoir Management |
| DOI | 10.1080/10402381.2025.2452543 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication Date | February 26, 2025 |
| Year Published | 2025 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis |
| Contributing office(s) | New Mexico Water Science Center |
| Description | 18 p. |
| First page | 41 |
| Last page | 58 |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Mexico |
| Other Geospatial | San Juan River |