State officials to hold sessions about Duke Energy's coal ash cleanup plan

Community members will get their chance this week to find out how Duke Energy plans to clean up six coal ash sites in North Carolina.

Public meetings will be held in Person, Wayne, Chatham and Robeson counties. The first meeting is Monday night in Roxboro.

A settlement between North Carolina and Duke was announced in January after seven years of litigation.

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Under the agreement, Duke plans to dig up nearly 80 million tons of coal ash and put the ash into lined landfills or to use it to make building materials.

The excavation will happen at six locations, including Roxboro.

It will be the largest coal ash clean up in U.S. history, according to the Department of Environmental Quality.

Coal ash is considered a highly toxic pollutant that could pose a threat to rivers and other waterways near the six coal ash sites around North Carolina.

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Duke says there is no reason for concern about nearby drinking water wells or lakes.

Monday’s meeting, held by DEQ, will be held at North End Elementary School on Mill Creek Road in Roxboro.

DEQ representatives will try to answer questions and listen to comments and concerns from the public.

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Duke will not have a representative there.

People can start signing up to speak at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is scheduled to start at 6.