Zhen Wang and Avner Vengosh, researchers from Duke University, found high levels of toxic heavy metals in coal ash from Punta Catalina-Hatillo, Dominican Republic’s largest coal-fired power plant. The $2.34-billion twin-unit plant was built by the Odebrecht-Tecnimont-Estrella Consortium. The concentrations of certain toxic heavy metals in the leachates including Mo, Se, Li, Tl, Ba, and Pb exceed some of the drinking water and ecological thresholds values of the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. EPA Maximum Drinking Water Level (MCL), and the U.S. EPA National Recommended Aquatic Life Criteria for chronic exposure (CCC). Therefore, uncontrolled management and release of the coal ash from Punta Catalina plant to the environment and water resources poses high environmental and human health risks.