MONROE COUNTY, Ga. – The legal battle between Georgia Power and dozens of people in Juliette is now over.

Last month, a Monroe County judge ruled in the utility’s favor, saying its Plant Scherer coal-fired power plant had not caused water pollution in the county.

Then more than 60 people in Juliette agreed to drop their lawsuits against Georgia Power and one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the country.

Her lawyer won’t comment on the details of her settlement – such as whether the utility paid her to drop the case – but the agreement came a few days after a judge said there was no evidence to suggest that their coal ash ponds pollute Juliette’s water or attract people sick.

Lawsuits against Georgia Power alleged that the utility unlawfully released heavy toxic metals from coal ash and discharged them into groundwater. The lawsuit said the neighbors suffered from health problems including cancer, liver damage and more.

Attorney Brian Adams represents some of the people who live near Plant Scherer.

He told 13WMAZ that his customers have asked Georgia Power to pay for personal injuries and property damage, stop water pollution and pay for medical monitoring.

The people of Juliette relied on well water until the county provided a water main in 2022.

Andrea Goolsby grew up in Juliette. She says that despite the settlement, she still believes bad water caused health problems in Juliette.

“Many different contaminants have been found in our drinking water,” Goolsby said.

The company said it had collected groundwater samples and data from monitoring wells, and last month Judge Robert Wilson ruled that Plant Scherer had not affected Juliette’s groundwater.

“I still believe they are the cause of all the problems the people of Juliette still have,” Goolsby said.

Goolsby was not among the people who sued Georgia Power, but she says she is still concerned about coal ash from her power plant and future contamination.

“We still have a problem with the coal ash being in an unlined pit. The EPD is scheduled to issue a permit in January and expects to do so soon after the first of the year, but it would be an illegal permit based on the “CCR rule, the federal rule for coal ash,” Goolsby said.

Judge Wilson dismissed the lawsuits with the condition that they could not sue again. Georgia Power is currently spending more than $7 billion to close ash ponds at its two remaining coal-fired power plants, Scherer and Bowen, in Bartow County.

Below is the full Georgia Power statement from spokesman John Kraft:

“Georgia Power has been and continues to be confident in the strength of our case. We were prepared to try the case in August and again in November. We are satisfied with the court’s decision in this case, which concluded that Plant Scherer did not have a negative impact on drinking water and did not cause or contribute to injuries.”

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