The Crisp County Power Commission is one of more than 2,200 public power systems in the U.S. providing dependable and economic power to the citizens in their communities. We serve Crisp County, Georgia including the municipalities of Cordele and Arabi. We also own and operate Lake Blackshear, an 8,700 acre reservoir stretching 20 miles long on the Flint River which provides hydroelectric power to our customers. The Power Commission is dedicated to providing excellent customer service and reliable, cost-effective power to our customers. Our service area covers approximately 330 square miles with an estimated population of 23,000.

History

The Crisp County Power Commission was formed by an amendment to the Georgia State Constitution in 1925 at the request of a group of civic minded citizens of Crisp County to develop hydro-electric power resources on the Flint River. The stated purpose for the Commission in the Amendment was to promote "the agricultural, industrial and civic interests" of Crisp County. The Commission is governed by a 7 member board:

• Three County Commissioners
• Four members appointed by the Crisp County Grand Jury

The first action of the Commission was the issuance of $1.25 million in revenue bonds to finance construction of the Lake Blackshear Dam and Reservoir. Construction was completed and power first generated from the facility in August 1930. At that time the rural areas of Crisp County (like virtually all the rural South) had no electrical service. Once the Power Commission began receiving power from the hydro-electric facility it began construction of distribution lines to bring the benefits of electricity to county residents.

Over a period of time the demand for power exceeded the amount available from the hydro-electric facility and in 1957 the Commission constructed one of the very first combined cycle facilities consisting of a 12.5MW coal plant and 5MW natural gas combustion turbine. By 1975 additional capacity was needed and the Crisp County Power Commission became one of the founding members of the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG). MEAG Power is a Joint Action Agency representing 49 public power entities in Georgia and co-owns generating and transmission facilities with the other major wholesale suppliers in Georgia.

Through MEAG Crisp has the ability to finance and construct any required future generating or transmission facilities on an economical scale. Through MEAG’s membership in Georgia’s Integrated Transmission System (ITS) Crisp has access to the grid of transmission lines located statewide for receipt or delivery of any needed amounts of power.

The Crisp County Power Commission serves an area of approximately 330 square miles including the municipalities of Cordele and Arabi using a network of approximately 850 miles of distribution lines. The Commission serves an estimated 12,000 meters with a peak load of 90MW.

ENVIRONMENT – CCR RULE COMPLIANCE DATA AND INFORMATION

BACKGROUND

On April 17th, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a final rule, 40 CFR Parts 257 and 261, entitled “Hazardous and Solid Waste Management System; Disposal of Coal Combustion Residuals (CCRs) from Electric Utilities; Final Rule”. Portions of the rule were appealed, and on August 5, 2016, EPA issued revised rules and deadlines relating to inactive coal combustion residuals (CCR) surface impoundments. 81 Fed. Reg. 51,802 (Aug. 5, 2016).

Under Subpart D, Part 257, the rule pertains to the management and disposal of CCRs. It establishes minimum national criteria to evaluate operating conditions at existing and new CCR landfills and surface impoundments to ensure that these do not pose an unreasonable risk to the health and the environment of the community in which they are sited. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division, which administers solid waste management and disposal provisions in Georgia, is also developing regulations relating to CCR landfills, surface impoundments, and expansions which will be codified at Georgia Department of Natural Resources Rules, Section 391-3-4-.10 (“GDNR CCR Rule”). Those rules are expected to be finalized in October 2016.

Crisp County Power Commission (CCPC) has a small surface impoundment which received coal ash or coal combustion residuals infrequently from 1970s to early 2015. CCPC generates electricity with renewable hydropower, natural gas, and coal was utilized on an infrequent and as-needed bases. CCPC’s fossil generating plant is Plant Crisp, located in Warwick, Georgia, was constructed in 1957 and is a dual-fuel facility consisting of a 12.5 megawatt (MW) capacity coal and natural gas-fired plant and a 5 MW capacity natural gas combustion turbine.

APPLICABILITY

Subpart D, Part 257 applies to owners and operators of new and existing CCR landfills and surface impoundments, including lateral expansions of such units that manage and dispose of solid waste that is the result of the combustion of coal in an electric utility boiler. CCPC’s ash pond is considered an ‘inactive surface impoundment’ under the EPA rules. Although some exclusions apply, this rule is applicable to Plant Crisp’s 6.1 acre ash pond that has been in operation since the 1970s.

The ash pond remains largely unused as the Plant Crisp boiler is a dual fuel (coal and/or natural gas) boiler and, for economic reasons, has been operating for the last several years using natural gas. The last usage of the coal ash pond was in August 2015 for air regulatory compliance testing on the boiler exhaust, which is regulated for Carbon Monoxide and Mercury. Plant Crisp repeatedly meets all air quality requirements dictated by federal and state regulations.

COMPLIANCE

Each CCR unit subject to the final rule requirements will record compliance with these requirements in the facility’s operating record, notify the state of decisions and maintain a publically available website of compliance information. These requirements allow transparency to the community and to the regulatory authorities on a facility’s status with regard to the regulation.

PLANT CRISP ASH IMPOUNDMENT COMPLIANCE INFORMATION

CCPC has one inactive surface impoundment. 80 Fed. Reg. 21302, 21342 (Apr. 17, 2015) 40 C.F.R. § 257.53. An Inactive CCR surface impoundment means a CCR surface impoundment that no longer receives CCR on or after October 19, 2015 and still contains both CCR and liquids on or after October 19, 2015. 40 C.F.R. § 257.53; 80 Fed. Reg. 21302. The ash impoundment is not lined. The ash pond is not a new or existing CCR surface impoundment. However, CCPC has studied the issue of management of the ash pond, and has decided to close the ash pond. Although the existing impoundment was found to be “low risk” to the community, CCPC has developed a closure plan (see below) which calls for removal of CCR material and closure of the pond beginning in 2017. This means that CCPC will not generate power using coal at Plant Crisp following closure of the ash pond and as per EPA and EPD regulations. As the closure progresses, please visit this website for updates and status of various reporting items. The closure plan is available on this website.

The ash pond is located on a parcel of approximately 100 acres of CCPC property near Lake Blackshear and the Flint River. The ash pond itself is approximately 6.1 acres, with embankments on the western and partially southern and northern sides. The ash pond was inspected in 2014 and 2015. EPA contractor CDM Smith determined that the Plant Crisp ash pond was a low hazard unit during the EPA’s coal combustion residuals impoundment assessment, dated February 2014. CDM Smith. (2014). “Assessment of Dam Safety of Coal Combustion Surface Impoundments – Final Report: Crisp County Power Commission Plant Crisp Warwick, Georgia.” Prepared for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C., Rev. 1, February 2014. The maximum embankment height is on the west end and is approximately 22 feet high. Rizzo Associates, 2015. Rizzo Associates. (2015). “Dam Safety Assessment Report Plant Crisp Coal Combustion Waste Impoundment.” Submitted to Crisp County Power Commission, 14-5232, Rev. 0, January 2015. Copies of these reports can be found here. Fluid levels in the ash pond are low due to evaporation and environmental factors. Geosyntec Consultants. (2016). “Fugitive Dust Control Plan Crisp Plant Crisp Ash Pond.” Prepared for Crisp County Power Commission, September 2016.