Indy Film Fest -- In the Water

There's a crisis happening in the documentary film genre. What once was a forum for observational nonfiction and exploratory journalism has devolved into a parade of propaganda and agitprop.

Every week I get pitches in my email inbox for "documentaries" that are just thinly disguised screeds for or against particular political issues or figures. Just in the last few days there were two different ones purporting to be scientific assessments of the mental capacity/sanity of the two major party presidential candidates.

They're basically just cable news shoutfests morphed into feature films. When I compare them to classics of the form like "Nanook of the North" or "Harlan County, USA," I want to throw up.

That's why I think true documentaries like "In the Water" are so valuable. It's an entirely sober look at coal plant pollution in Indiana, with a particular focus on the coal ash that has a documented history of seeping into Hoosier water supplies and contaminating them.

It's produced by the Indiana Environmental Reporter, which strives to research and report science-based evidence on issues impacting the Hoosier environment. Produced in association with Indiana University, it no doubt originates from the environmentalist perspective.

But the doc, directed by Beth Edwards, is careful to present a balanced perspective that includes interviews with both environmental advocates and watchdogs as well as energy company executives and association spokespersons. Both are given time and space to present their case and make arguments backed up with evidence.

You'd be hard-pressed to watch "In the Water" and come away with any other conclusion than coal ash has presented a serious threat to Indiana's ecology. But also that energy companies actually care about the sustainability of what they do and are making gradual improvements -- prodded, of course, by government watchdogs and journalism like this.

Though most people think of miners with sooty faces working deep underground when you talk about coal, Indiana is in fact the 8th largest coal-producing state, with a $2 billion impact on our economy. We meet people like Robert Schumacher, a retired miner who's proud of his way of life, which often extends back generations in a single family.

And we also encounter Cathi Murray, a resident of tiny Pines, Ind., whose family has suffered serious health effects due to the coal ash contamination in their private well. We experience her frustration at trying and failing to get answers or actions, as the wheels of governmental oversight turn slowly -- or seemingly not at all.

In Indiana coal mining is accomplished largely through surface excavation using massive machinery. The coal is then ground into a fine dust -- better for efficient burning -- which is then used to turn turbines producing much of the state's electricity. Indiana has long enjoyed low energy rates compared to other states, which has led to corner-cutting.

For example, coal ash -- better known as combustion residuals -- went largely unregulated until just a few years ago. It's still classified as solid waste rather than hazardous waste. New coal ash ponds are requires to have a liner to present leakage into the water table, but many of Indiana's older coal plants lack these, having been grandfathered in.

A 2018 survey found that all of the state's older coal sites had contamination of the nearby groundwater, including large quantities of sulfur that make well water smell terrible and combine with oxygen in the atmosphere to create acid rain. Indiana has the most unlined coal ash ponds in the nation.

Energy companies, scientists and other stakeholders are working to make things better. Many of the state's coal plants are in the process of being phased out, often in favor of nuclear plants but also renewable sources like solar and wind.

Linda Wang, a professor at Purdue University, has found that valuable rare earth elements can be extracted from coal ash, many of which are useful for high-tech commodities like smartphones and medical equipment.

Coal ash can also be mixed to form bricks and other construction materials where it can reside in an inert form as well being recycled instead of dumped into landfills.

I learned a lot watching "In the Water." Not just about a quiet environmental crisis that's been happening in our own backyard, but a few reasons to have hope about changing it.

And that there's still life in the documentary genre by well-intentioned filmmakers more concerned with spreading light than heat.