About 50 people filled the Springdale Jr./Sr. High School auditorium Wednesday during a public hearing about water discharges from NRG's Springdale power plant.

The state Department of Environmental Protection held the hearing to gather testimony from residents regarding a permit for wastewater discharges from the plant. It is Allegheny County's only remaining coal-fired power plant and continues to operate under an extension to a permit that expired in August 2012.

DEP may issue a permit to allow discharges from the plant into the Allegheny River, giving the plant until 2023 to become compliant with regulations. Many at the hearing want the permit to require the plant to become compliant by 2020.

The plant has two outflows of industrial wastewater into the Allegheny River and four additional discharges, one of industrial wastewater and three of stormwater into Little Deer Creek, about 5 miles from where it flows into the Allegheny River.

About two dozen people gave testimony including residents, environmental advocates and the plant manager.

Most of the people who spoke expressed concerns about water contaminates, including lead and mercury, that they believe could be responsible for contaminating drinking water and causing illnesses such as asthma and cancer.

Speakers called for the coal-fired plant to be shut down and replaced with a renewable energy plant using wind or solar.

Springdale resident Marti Blake has lived across the street from the plant since 1990.

“I have witnessed firsthand the terrible pollution, particulates, coal dust on my property,” she said.

“I feel the DEP needs to step up immediately and enforce a new permit that will not allow the (Springdale) power plant to emit all the toxins mentioned. Trust me, this will save the lives of thousands,” she added.

Verona resident Laura Jacko brought her 8-month-old son. She said the DEP shouldn't delay any further in issuing the permit to ensure everyone has safe drinking water and would like the DEP to require compliance sooner than 2023.

“The delay only continues to endanger our water supply, his water supply and is a danger to the community,” she said.

Jacko said what the plant is doing and what the DEP allows the plant to discharge is in violation of the state constitution, which guarantees residents the right to clean water and clean air.

Plant manager Kevin Panzino said the plant has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to clean the plant and install scrubbers and other pollution control systems. He said they have been in compliance with the permit since 2012.

“You are all welcome to come to my plant,” he said. “I want you to see what we do.”

DEP spokeswoman Lauren Fraley said the agency takes all of the comments and testimony seriously and will take them under consideration as it moves forward in the permitting process. She couldn't respond to specific questions or concerns but said they would all be addressed in a formal response document from the department.

Fraley said while there is no timeline for issuing the permit, ideally it would be done before the end of this year.

People unable to attend the hearing can submit three copies of a written statement and exhibits within the 10 days of the hearing to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Clean Water, P.O. Box 8774, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8774.

Written submittals must contain the following:

• Name, address and telephone number of the person submitting the comments.

• Identification of the proposed draft permit, PA0001627.

• Concise statements regarding the relevancy of the information in support of or objections to issuance of the permit.

Emily Balser is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-226-4680, emilybalser@tribweb.com or on Twitter @emilybalser.

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