BATAVIA — Clermont County has filed a federal lawsuit against Duke Energy and other companies over coal ash waste at a former power plant it says threatens drinking water for 145,000 residents.
Clermont County filed the lawsuit Thursday (Sept. 24, 2026) against Duke Energy and several other companies over coal ash waste at the former Beckjord Power Plant in New Richmond.
In total, the lawsuit names the defendants as: Commercial Liability Partners, LLC (“CLP”), New Richmond Development Corporation LLC (“NRDC”), Duke Energy Beckjord, LLC, Duke Energy Ohio, Inc. (together, “Duke Energy”), Owlfly, LLC and TBDA Investments, LLC, all owners or former owners of the site
The old plant sits next to the Ohio River, near well fields that supply water to 145,000 residents. The county says unlined ash ponds at the site pose a danger to public health and the environment.
According to a release, the former coal-fired power plant generated CCRs as a byproduct, and CCRs were disposed of in and moved between on-site unlined ash ponds. The lawsuit alleges that the Beckjord property and the unlined ash ponds present an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health and the environment, and are in violation of federal and state law.
County commissioners gave the companies 90 days to clean up the site in June. Leaders say the companies did nothing.
“We said we would act if the responsible parties did not, and we have kept that promise,” said Clermont County Commissioner David Painter. “The responsibility for addressing conditions at Beckjord—and the cost of remediation—must fall on the parties responsible, not the residents of Clermont County.”
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