Coal Power Impacts | Union of Concerned Scientists
#0183;#32;Coal impacts: water pollution. When you burn charcoal in your grill at home, ash is leftover. The same is true for coalfired power plants, which produce more than 100 million tons of coal ash every year. More than half of that waste ends up in ponds, lakes, landfills, and other sites where, over time, it can contaminate waterways and drinking water supplies.