Once completed, the closure of the Peabody Ash Pond will prevent pollutants from becoming airborne or being discharged into nearby surface waters during precipitation events.

In Drakesboro, Kentucky, Barnard is assisting in the decommissioning of a fossil plant by constructing a lined closure cap system. This will prevent coal combustion residuals (CCRs) built up in the Peabody Ash Pond from entering the local environment. The process includes dewatering the ash pond and removing CCR to be processed, then regrading it within the pond before being capped with a combination of geosynthetics, processed soil and sod.