State environmental regulators have endorsed Duke Energy's plans for closing a large coal ash pond in western Indiana.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management approved the closure plan this month for the South Ash Pond at Duke Energy's former Wabash River Generating Station near Terre Haute.
The state-approved plan calls for closing nearly 73 acres by leaving coal combustion residuals in place but topped by a liner and layers of soil.
IDEM is still evaluating closure plans for an 80-acre ash pond and a 7.8-acre settling pond at the site.
The Wabash River Generating Station was shuttered in 2016 under a settlement with environmental groups. The station had operated six coal-fired power units along the Wabash River.