Mona residents discuss proposed power plant

Residents of a small northern Iowa town near the Minnesota border are gathering tonight to talk about a proposed coal-fired power plant that could be coming to their area. Loren Meyer lives near the proposed site and says they’ll hear from a Minnesota geologist about the potential dangers to ground water. He says they’re in “lime rock” which he says doesn’t hold water, everything goes right down through it. Meyer says the runoff from waste produced by the proposed plant is what really has the town worried. He says they’re going to make a toxic waste dump with the fly ash that’s toxic that can’t be used in cement plants. He says they’re concerned the runoff from that dump will get into the groundwater. Meyer says they’ll discuss the problem tonight and hope to persuade the power company to build elsewhere. He says it’s one of three proposed sites, the others are in New Hampton, and Wisconsin. Meyer says they’ll meet tonight at the Mona Lutheran Church.