NCD980602163_1990617_Warren County PCB Landfill_SERB C_Status of the PCB Landfill Detoxification Effort-OCR

June 17, 1999
STATUS OF THE PCB LANDFILL DETOXIFICATION EFFORT
WARREN COUNTY, NC
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In the late 1970s, several thousand gallons of polychlorinated bi-phenyls (PCBs) were
illegally sprayed along about 210 miles of state roadways. Listed as a Superfund site under the
US EPA, the roadways were dug up and the contaminated soils disposed in an approved PCB
landfill in Warren County. There was much opposition to the landfill, and the environmental
justice movement supposedly started at this site.
In 1982, Governor Jim Hunt made a commitment to the people of Warren County that if
appropriate and feasible technology became available, the state would explore detoxification of
the landfill. In 1995, $1 million was appropriated to study detoxification.
The Warren County PCB Working Group (WG) was established in 1994. It consists of
local citizens, state employees and members of various environmental organizations. This group
has been working together to explore detoxification.
Detoxification Studies
With staff from the state Division of Waste Management (DWM), independent science
advisors and the WG, an extensive site investigation was performed. This included installation
of monitoring wells, boring into the landfill to extract soils for testing, and bench scale
detoxification studies.
Twelve different technologies were considered and two were selected for bench scale
studies. Following very rigorous testing using stringent guidelines and treatment goals for both
PCBs and dioxin, Base Catalyzed Decomposition (BCD) was determined to be the best
technology for detoxification.
A Phase II, Preliminary Draft Design Plan prepared by the company that conducted the
BCD bench scale study estimates the maximum cost to be under $24 million.
Current Status
In 1998, $2 million was appropriated to begin the detoxification process using BCD. The
Division of Waste Management hired a chemical/environmental engineer to be the project
manager. A contract has been issued for the completion of the Phase III final design for full
scale detoxification. Preliminary meetings for the permitting activities required have been held
with EPA Region IV (Atlanta) and headquarters personnel in Washington, DC.
EPA is providing an environmental justice grant of $225,000 over a three-year period for
a community involvement coordinator. This person will work with the local community in a
variety of tasks, including the training and employment of local citizens and the use of local
businesses for detoxification activities.
Warren County has also applied for a Brownfields redevelopment grant of $200,000 from
EPA. If awarded, part of the money will be used to drill under the PCB landfill to verify that
there are no contaminated soils beneath the landfill. The remainder of the grant money will be
used for educational information. Word on this grant is expected within the next week.
Site preparation work is either on-going or in the planning stages for such things as
utilities (water, power, toilet facilities, etc), road work, boring under the landfill, and a re-
development plan once detoxification is completed. Job training and business opportunities for
minority companies in the area are a priority.
The Division of Waste Management is currently pre-qualifying companies interested in
bidding on the actual detoxification. The Phase III final design should be completed by October
1999, with a RFP (request for proposal) ready to send out this fall provided additional funding is
appropriated. The next phase is estimated to cost a maximum of $16 million. Under the current
schedule, a contract could be issued in early 2000, and actual detoxification on site started in the
summer of next year. The on-site work is estimated to take 18 to 24 months.
DENR Secretary Wayne McDevitt is in the process of appointing a nine-member Citizens
Advisory Board (CAB) to continue detoxification efforts in Warren County. This CAB will
include local citizens, representatives from government bodies, and representatives from
environmental groups. Most of those who have agreed to serve on the CAB were members of
the Working Group.
For Your Information
Citizens in Warren County feel that Governor Hunt has not supported the detoxification
effort strongly enough, especially this year. In 1998, Governor Hunt included $15 million in his
1998-99 budget for the BCD treatment technology for detoxification of the PCB landfill. There
is nothing from the Governor so far this year.
If Ken and Deborah Ferruccio (Joan Weld's sister) find out that the Governor is in Warren
County, they could demonstrate. Ken just sent a 12-page letter declining to serve on the Warren
County CAB mentioned above.
There is a special provision in the Senate's version of the budget that would allow the
transfer of $1 million from the White Goods Fund to be used a seed money for detoxification of
the PCB landfill. There is also a possibility that language could be added that would allow the
Governor flexibility in seeking other funds for detoxification.