PPL crews are working to stop a water leak from one of the ash basins at the Martins Creek power plant in Lower Mount Bethel Township, Pa., company officials said Thursday (8/25).

The company's environmental experts — in concert with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection — are assessing any potential impacts on plant neighbors and residents downstream along the Delaware River.

Water is flowing from the ash basin — a pond-like enclosure near the plant — into the nearby Delaware River. Some of the ash in the basin is included in the water flowing into the river. The basin is a storage area for ash created when the plant burns coal to generate electricity.

"We're doing everything we can to stop the leak as quickly as possible," said Tom Eppehimer, power plant manager. "Meanwhile, we're taking water samples from the river, setting up temporary barriers to try to catch sediment before it reaches the river, and keeping area residents informed."

The leak is coming from the area of the basin where water normally flows into a discharge pipe and then into the river. Because of the location of the leak, ash from the bottom of the pond is mixing with the leaking water.

As of 3 p.m. Thursday, plant crews were attempting to use a crane to lower a metal plate onto the drain to block the flow of water to the discharge pipe. "The location of the pipe intake and the strong flow of water in the basin are making these remedial measures especially difficult," said Eppehimer.

"As a precaution, we are taking samples of drinking water in the area around the leak, and we are offering bottled water to plant neighbors in the immediate area of the leak," Eppehimer said. "We do not expect there to be any problems with groundwater contamination, because the leaking water is on the surface."

PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), headquartered in Allentown, Pa., controls about 12,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets and delivers electricity to nearly 5 million customers in Pennsylvania, the United Kingdom and Latin America. More information is available at www.pplweb.com.