The DEP reported that eight of the 20 coal-ash dams it examined were in satisfactory condition.

Inspectors found stability problems, seepage and erosion at some of the dams as part of a "comprehensive review" launched after the disastrous failure of a coal-ash impoundment in East Tennessee.

The DEP also found problems that resulted in at least five enforcement actions at landfills where dry waste products from coal-fired power plants have been dumped.

The Charleston Gazette says the 44-page DEP report says that the companies are taking the proper corrective action.

The DEP inspectors admitted that American Electric Power built two coal-ash dams at one Mason County site without the state knowing about it.

State dam-safety experts seldom inspect coal-ash dams in West Virginia, because state law does not require periodic reviews.

After the collapse of the Tennessee dam, the Charleston Gazette revealed that most of the coal-ash dams in West Virginia had not been visited by a state dam inspector in at least five years.

DEP Secretary Randy Huffman said his agency is exploring options for more frequent inspections.