In many parts of the U.S., there is a coal-ash disposal operation just waiting for some local environmental reporter to come along and write a probing story about it. The nearly unregulated ash, slag, and sludge from coal-burning electric utilities contains a range of heavy metals that can pollute water, and occasionally — as it did in Kingston, TN, in Dec. 2008 — bury people's houses.

Often pushing against electric utilities' desire for secrecy, EPA and others have made much information about coal-ash disposal available to the public (and media). The WatchDog has noted this piecemeal in previous issues. Here's a roundup of some of the major sources of raw information now available to reporters.

• List of 49 High-Hazard Coal-Ash Ponds, [2] EPA.
• Coal-Ash Impoundment Structural Integrity Reports [3] (for 43 sites), EPA/Contractors.
• Coal-Ash Survey Results [4] (individual written responses from 219 facilities and 584 surface impoundments and similar management units).
• Coal Mining and Processing Waste —  Location and Information System [5] (run by a consortium).
• A list of further data resources for investigating coal-ash handling and disposal facilities is available in the WatchDog of June 17, 2009. [6] This article explains, for example, how to look up the wastewater discharge permit and violation record for coal-ash facilities.