NCD980602163_19970224_Warren County PCB Landfill_SERB C_Warren Record article - Worked Expected to Begin Here on Cleanup of PCB Landfill-OCR

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A:B WORKING GROUP Fax:[phone] Feb 27 '97 8:48 vvorK cxpecrea . 10 De91n nere
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On Cleanup Of PGB Landfill
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Worlc. is expected to begin · million," Warren said.
this week in Warren County to-N.C. Senator Frank Ballance,
ward clean-up of a problem-rid-whose bill led to the state ·s
den, state-owned PCB landfill. 1983 pledge to decontaminate
This week; under the guid-the site, said he was .. happy that
ance of science advisors hired we arc finally geuing close to a
by the Joint Warren County/ resolution of this issue, and that
State PCB Landfill Worlc.ing our effons to secure $1 million
Group, state worlc.erN and inde-in the 1995-96 legislature to
pendent contracto~ are pcrfonn-begin this process is now paying
ing tes~ to help cvaluat~ the fa-dividcnds.tt
cility's current status. In 199t the state acknowl-
According to PCB Working edged that over a million gallons
Group member Jim Warren. of water are trapped inside the
contractors are drilling addi~ . PCB landfill.
tional monitoring wells around "The two science advisors
the Afton i;ite to help determine expressed concern that water is
whether PCBs and dioxins have .. migrating in and out of the PCB
leak.ed out of the landfill and landfill, but the elt.tent of any
possibly migrated off-site. chemical releases into area
In addition, comprehensive ground or · surface waters is
air sampling is expected to help . uncertain," Warren said.
identify weaknesses in the top "PCBs and dioxins are highly
liner of the landfill. toxic chemicals associated with
In March, sediment samples .. a wide range of human health
will be taken from key areas pamage," he said.
around the site to identify re-The . Working Group has
leases which may have occurred asked EPA to conduct a
during the construction or op-. "thorough regulatory compli-
cration of the landfill. ance audit for the entire history
Warren explained that sci-of the dwnp."
ence advisors hired by the Warren said that the sdence
Working Group have pcrf ormed advisors have identified "several
a feasibility study for detoxi-important areas where the state
fication technologies and have has not met federal requirements
identified two processes deemed for the facility's design and op-
suitable. eration." ·
"Next week, contractors are ·· At the request of the Woricing
expected to remove several Group, the state installed a car-
hundred pounds of the contami-bon filter on the landfill's air
nated soil from the PCB landfill vent in December to prevent re-
which will be sent for bench-· leases of PCBs.
scale testing of the two tech-· Warren said that Govemor
nologie.~." Warren said. Hunt has been invited to partici-
He said that results of the pate in a public meeting in War-
bench-scalc studies, expected ren County to discuss site de-
this spring, will be used to mea-·: ·contamination.· ·
:. sure the safety and effectiveness The Worlcing Group. com-
. of the clean-up process and to prised of local citizens, envi-
develop a preliminary design · ronmentalists and state officials
with accurate cost estimates for has developed a "process to
full-scale decontamination of move toward honoring a pledge
the site. . ·· made by the state to dccontami -
· "It is believed the clean-up nate the &ite when feasible to do
will cost in the range of S25 ... .,:•. . . , , ., ,.
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