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Toxic releases to air, land and water continued to decline in Delaware, according to the latest report from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
The annual Toxics Release Inventory for 2014 showed a decrease in onsite releases to both land and air, with a slight increase in onsite releases to water, all as compared to 2013 figures.
Total onsite releases were down 7 percent for 2014, with releases to land down 88 percent, air down 19 percent, and releases to water up 2 percent.
The reductions reflect a continued downward trend in toxic releases over the last 17 years – since 1998 a year when the reporting requirements were expanded to include a larger list of reporting facilities.
Also affecting the releases are plant closings that included the shuttering of the Chrysler and GM plants in 2008 and 2009. Beginning in 2016, another major source of toxic releases, the DuPont/Chemours Edgemoor site will be off the list, due a closing late last year.
The Delaware City Refinery was ranked No. 1 on the list of the top 15 companies regarding toxic releases and showed a 4 percent increase from 2013. The refinery has made improvements in lowering emissions in years before 2014, but has been running closer to capacity of late.
Discharges into the Delaware River by the refinery have also been criticized by environmental groups.
Showing the largest decline in emissions was NRG’s Indian River Generating Station in Sussex County, which moved from second to sixth on the list with a 93 percent decline.
The plant is down to one coal-fired unit and has spent tens of millions of dollars in emissions equipment to reduce pollution. The plant was the state’s leading polluter for many years.
Also off the list are coal-fired plants in Edgemoor and Dover that were converted to other fuels.
The reporting of nitrate compounds released to water again had a major impact on the overall onsite releases, accounting for 78 percent (2.9 million pounds) of the total onsite releases. Releases for nitrate compounds were up by 61,000 pounds compared to 2013.
“Manufacturing and industrial facilities in Delaware continue to demonstrate that they can keep productivity high and minimize or reduce releases to our environment,” stated DNREC Secretary David Small. “Enhanced technology, evolving best practices, the transparency of this TRI data, regulatory requirements and the public’s expectation for cleaner processes have all contributed to the positive trends we have seen since the inception of TRI reporting. DNREC looks forward to working with our diverse partners and stakeholders to continue this trend.”
The full TRI 2014 report and data are available at:
http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/SE
