Ameren coal ash used as mine fill near Ste. Genevieve

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- Ameren Missouri is experimenting with using coal ash as mine filler.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the ash comes from Ameren's Rush Island plant. The company is sending truckloads of it for disposal in an inactive section of Mississippi Lime Co.'s cavernous limestone mine near Ste. Genevieve, about 60 miles north of Cape Girardeau.

For now the arrangement is part of a 60-day trial.

So far, there's been no public outcry and only limited regulatory review. Mississippi Lime says both companies benefit from the arrangement. But the Missouri Chapter of the Sierra Club has raised concerns that the effort could place the region's water supply at risk.

Mississippi Lime President Bill Ayers said Ameren is paying his company for the ash. Ameren Missouri, however, declined to confirm that it's paying.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com