A Lake Held Hostage By Yesterday’s Poison

On the shore of Seneca Lake sits the Greenidge Generating Station. The plant itself stopped burning coal in 2011, before Greenidge LLC purchased it in 2014 and restarted it on natural gas. The poison from its past, however, never left. A massive unlined surface impoundment, the “C-Pond,” still holds decades of accumulated coal ash, the toxic byproduct of burning coal since 1937.

This is not inert material. Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) are known to contain heavy metals and other toxins. The C-Pond is an “inactive CCR surface impoundment” under federal law, which means it is a regulated toxic waste site. It was built without a liner, creating a direct pathway for contaminants to seep into the groundwater. Worse, the company continued using this pond for its current operations, channeling non-CCR plant wastewater through the toxic sludge and then discharging it into Seneca Lake through a state-permitted outfall.

Federal law is clear about such hazards. The EPA’s CCR Rule established standards for monitoring, managing, and closing these toxic ponds to protect public health and the environment. Greenidge was legally obligated to comply. The official record shows they did not.

The Non-Financial Ledger

The damage a corporation does cannot be measured only in dollars. There is a human cost, a debt paid in fear and uncertainty. For years, Greenidge operated without a fully functional groundwater monitoring system. This means the local community, which relies on and lives around Seneca Lake, had no way of knowing what was leaking from the C-Pond into their environment. This is a fundamental betrayal.

“Greenidge did not have an upgradient or other monitoring well that accurately represents the quality of background groundwater that has not been affected by leakage from the surface impoundment…”

The company also failed to produce the required annual reports. These are not just bureaucratic paperwork. They are public documents that provide transparency and assurance that a corporation is managing its hazardous waste responsibly. By failing to produce these reports for 2017, 2018, and 2019, Greenidge denied the public its right to information, operating behind a shield of secrecy while its toxic pond sat on the edge of a vital waterway.

Legal Receipts: The Paper Trail of Neglect

In September 2022, the EPA sent Greenidge a Notice of Potential Violations. This document outlines the company’s failures to comply with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The violations are not minor oversights; they represent a systemic breakdown of environmental controls over multiple years.

The company was supposed to stop dumping wastewater into this unlined pond by April 11, 2021. Instead, they asked for an extension, which the EPA ultimately denied. This settlement is the outcome of that confrontation.

The Price of Pollution: A Management Fee

After years of non-compliance and operating an illegal toxic waste impoundment, Greenidge Generation negotiated a settlement with the EPA. They did not have to admit guilt. The price for their documented failures and the potential harm to a major New York waterway was a civil penalty.

This is not a punishment. For a company of this scale, it is a rounding error, a predictable cost of doing business calculated against the profits gained by delaying expensive infrastructure upgrades and proper waste management.

What Now? The Watchlist

The Consent Agreement forces Greenidge to finally act. They must stop all discharge into the C-Pond within 180 days of the January 9, 2024 order and begin the formal closure process. They must also bring their monitoring and reporting into compliance. Accountability, however, is not guaranteed by a legal document; it is compelled by public pressure.

Corporate Leadership

• President: Dale Irwin

Regulatory Watchlist

• EPA Region 2: This is the agency that agreed to the $105,000 settlement. They are responsible for ensuring Greenidge meets every deadline and requirement in the new order.
• New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC): The NYSDEC issued the permit allowing Greenidge to discharge wastewater into Seneca Lake. Their vigilance is critical to protecting state waters.

The Resistance

This settlement is a beginning, not an end. Local organizing is the only mechanism that can hold this corporation’s feet to the fire. Communities must track the closure deadlines laid out in the Consent Order and demand transparency at every step. Mutual aid efforts can supplement official data by organizing independent water quality testing. The fight is to ensure that the permanent closure of the C-Pond happens on schedule and to the highest safety standards, not just the cheapest ones.