Groundwater wells near Monroe County's Plant Scherer need more testing, according to a report by the Georgia Department of Public Health.

Plant Scherer is a coal-fired power plant operated by Georgia Power in Juliette.

Nearby residents expressed concern about the plant's unlined coal-ash disposal pond and the potential for uranium contamination in the groundwater. 

To address those concerns, the state Department of Public Health compiled a "scoping report," a first step in reporting whether regulated chemical could pose a risk to the public.

Though it acknowledges the potential risk, the report says the GDPH cannot determine the level of risk because samples haven't been tested from wells south and southeast of the plant.

Based on "limited data available," the report says there is no indication that "humans are being or have been exposed to levels of contamination that would be expected to cause adverse health effects..." 

More details to come. 

The state Scoping Report below:

Plant Scherer Scoping Report_7.18.12 (01)