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I was heartened to see that Duke is considering the complete excavation of the coal ash basins and relocation of the sludge to lined landfills away from drinking water supplies.

For people living and working near the plant, where arsenic is creeping closer to groundwater supplies every day, excavation is the only viable option.

The threat of disaster is very real if Duke makes the irresponsible decision to leave any coal ash at the Sutton plant. The likelihood of a hurricane striking the Cape Fear River basin only ups the ante for a possible spill.

In 2010, a containment berm ruptured, sending a cascade of coal ash down a steep embankment at the Sutton facility. Luckily, no one was injured and no property seriously damaged. But the breach harkens back to one of the worst environmental catastrophes in American history, where the nearby community wasn’t so lucky.

Five years ago this month, a coal ash dam at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston power plant burst, spilling 1 billion gallons of toxic sludge into the Emory River and 300 acres of surrounding property. The wet ash toppled trees and destroyed dozens of homes.

This is the risk we are taking if Duke fails to dispose of its coal ash responsibly. Downtown Wilmington is just six miles downstream from the Sutton facility, and Duke did nothing to prevent a future breach when it repaired the hole in the containment berm at Sutton three years ago.

Last month, South Carolina utility Santee Cooper agreed to remove and recycle 1.3 million tons of coal ash from its Grainger power plant near the Waccamaw River. It also pledged similar cleanup at two other power plants. The settlement came a year after South Carolina Electric & Gas agreed to remove 2.4 million tons of coal ash threatening the Catawba-Wateree River.

South Carolina has set a good example for other Southeastern states, and North Carolina’s largest utility would be wise to follow suit. There’s no good reason not to.

The dangers of coal ash are well documented. Just last month, researchers at Wake Forest University released a study that found selenium poisoning in Sutton Lake kills 900,000 fish annually. Sutton Lake, which acts as a cooling pond for Duke’s Sutton plant, is also a popular fishing destination.

The toxins in the ash – which include arsenic, mercury, lead, selenium and magnesium – have been linked to organ disease, cancer, respiratory illness, neurological damage and developmental problems in humans.

Abandoning ponds full of toxic coal ash waste – leaving them to contaminate groundwater and put the public and environment at risk of catastrophic dam failure for decades to come – is not a solution. It’s the very definition of a disaster waiting to happen.

Duke is right to consider complete excavation and removal of the waste from the Sutton facility. The mark of a true industry leader is the ability to make the right decision, rather than the easy one.

Duke should lead by example. Responsible coal ash cleanup at Sutton and other facilities across the state could help turn the entire industry in the right direction.

Kemp Burdette is the riverkeeper with the environmental group Cape Fear River Watch.

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