Coal Ash, what's up with it?

Ok, been harrassed lately about how coal ash is causing problems in the environment, health concerns, yadda, yadda....what is the real deal here?

Is it just bitimuous ash from plants that's the problem or is residential Stoker Anthracite Fly ash just as bad?

I need a rebuttle as many friends are treehuggers and keep going at me on this one.

Won't stop me from burning coal though, that's for sure!

Thanks!

I've been using coal ash to fill low spots in the yard for 30 years.
Every spring, I sow a little grass seed on top and in no time there
is grass that looks better than anywhere else.
Ash from anthracite is just the clay minerals that were in the
original plant matter. Certainly no worse than wood ash.

They use coal to filter city water. Can't be that bad.

Tom

My next door neighbor saw my ash pile and asked if he could take some for his garden. He took 6 wheel barrows full. I've also mixed it in my garden. No matter what you say to your tree hugger friends, you're going to be wrong. Groupthink is a bitch. When I first started using coal again I caught a lot of *censored* from the old hippies at work. They're annoying as hell. When they leave for the day they throw me the peace sign. I used to throw them half of one back. Now I just tune them out. It's not worth the aggravation.

There were quite a few threads on this, if you do a search for coal ash you should be able to find many pages on this subject.

Show them this -- it's on top of a vernal pool at my house:

I was never a fan of putting coal ash on a garden but it may be worth looking into. I noticed while clearing some brush this morning, a blackberry bush growing right out of the top of the pile. Upon further inspection, there were several small maple trees taking root also. I'll let you know how the berries are in about a month.

SMITTY wrote:Show them this -- it's on top of a vernal pool at my house:

aren't vernal pools protected ?

coaledsweat wrote:Upon further inspection, there were several small maple trees taking root also.

Not sure about the ash but the white birch love the culm banks.

Every time I get a surplus of ash I build another flower bed around my house. Spread topsoil over it and plant away. The flowers/plants seem to love it - probably because their roots can shoot right through it.