The Reason,

Funding cuts, Lack of Public Awareness, and Corporate Lobbyist prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from passing and enforcing the regulations necessary to ensure all Americans have access to clean water. Currently Toxic Coal Ashes (CCRs) which are known to contain Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, and other elements that are harmful if ingested are permitted to be dumped into landfills which are exposed to wind rain and elements allowing them to seep into local freshwater supplies. As of recent this form of waste is now recorded by the EPA but is not officially labeled a Hazardous Material.

The Now,

Today, in November 2017,there are currently over 1,300 contamination sites on the National Priorities List. These areas which are designated as Super-Fund Sites by the EPA are places where hazardous material containment has been compromised or improperly disposed of by Large Corporations who save millions by doing so. In the event a compromise occurs our Tax Dollars pay for much of the cleanup through these Super-Funds while the real criminals are protected under corporate veils of liability.https://www.epa.gov/superfund/national-priorities-...

Additional Facts:

How much coal ash is generated and disposed of each year?

Toxic Coal Ash (CCRs) one of the largest industrial waste streams generated in the United States. In 2012, more than 470 coal-fired electric utilities burned over 800 million tons of coal, generating approximately 110 million tons of CCRs in 47 states and Puerto Rico. ---https://www.epa.gov/coalash/frequent-questions-abo...

How and where is coal ash currently generated and disposed?

CCRs may be generated wet or dry, and some CCRs are dewatered while others are mixed with water to facilitate transport (e.g., sluiced).

CCRs can be disposed in off-site landfills, or disposed in on-site landfills or surface impoundments. In 2012, approximately 40 percent of the CCRs generated were beneficially used, with the remaining 60 percent disposed in surface impoundments and landfills. Of that 60 percent, approximately 80 percent was disposed in on-site disposal units. CCR disposal currently occurs at more than 310 active on-site landfills, averaging more than 120 acres in size with an average depth of over 40 feet, and at more than 735 active on-site surface impoundments, averaging more than 50 acres in size with an average depth of 20 feet.---https://www.epa.gov/coalash/frequent-questions-abo...