Student environmental activists from Iowa State University will meet with the school’s president Oct. 2 to demand that the university’s practice of disposing toxic coal ash in an unlined quarry in Waterloo be stopped.

A member of the group ActivUs collects student signatures on a petition to stop

A member of the group ActivUs collects student signatures on a petition to stop Iowa State University from disposing coal ash in an unlined, unmonitored quarry in Waterloo. (photo by Jason Hancock/Iowa Independent)

The group, called ActivUS, will also be delivering signed petitions from students who feel it is irresponsible for a public university to engage in a practice deemed dangerous enough to be banned in surrounding states.

“We are expecting to hear them talk about budget issues and how we can’t afford to change,” said Graham Jordison, president of ActivUS. “If money is their argument, we think they should consider that there are more important things, like protecting the environment and protecting public health.”

Coal ash, the waste produced by burning coal, contains much greater concentrations of elements such as mercury, zinc, lead, arsenic and selenium than the coal itself, and environmentalists fear that dumping it into unlined quarries may result in contamination of groundwater supplies.

Iowa State, along with the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa, dispose of coal ash in a Waterloo quarry owned by BMC Aggregates that is not mandated to have a protective liner and is not required to conduct groundwater testing to see if contamination is taking place. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently drafting rules that many think could ban this practice, which is currently allowed in Iowa if a site receives a waiver from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

In addition to Waterloo, quarries in Goose Lake and Cedar Rapids and a mine in Buffalo have received such a waiver.

ActivUs believes that even if the rules governing coal ash are not changed, Iowa State should take the lead on the issue and change its disposal methods. Officials with the school have consistently maintained that its methods pose no threat to the public health. In June, all three schools said they planned to investigate any potential public health risks their disposal methods could create. After meeting with the owners of the quarry last month it was determined that the practice was safe and would be continued.

The student action against coal ash started on the first day of the fall semester, when ActivUs held a protest rally to raise awareness of the issue on campus. Jordison said membership has increased dramatically since that day, and several more events could be organized leading up to their meeting with the school president.

A spokeswoman for the university confirmed to the Iowa Independent that President Geoffroy would be meeting with students Oct. 2 to give them a chance to share their views.