RALEIGH -- Monday, State Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Duke Energy officials heard questions from people concerned about a massive coal ash spill that has contaminated water in the Dan River. Frank Holleman, with Southern Environmental Law Center, says Duke misled the public.

Holleman said, "Duke told us they were complying with all the laws, that was not true. Duke told us they're illegal activity was harmless, that was not true. Duke said their coal ash storage facilities were stable and well maintained, that was not true."

Jenny Edwards, with the Dan River Basin Association, says the ash is piling up and affecting wild life, "We saw coal ash the entire way down pooling up, in some places we estimate 4-to-5 inches deep. We saw ducks swimming through coal ash. We saw a bald eagle flying over a river of coal ash."

Federal authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the spill. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Raleigh issued a grand jury subpoenas demanding records from Duke Energy and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources.