THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 8, 1996 TAG: 9606080430
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN JOLLY DAVIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORTHAMPTON COUNTY LENGTH: 63 lines
Two longstanding environmental problems are being addressed once more by the Department of Environmental Quality.
The state has ordered Pemsco, owner of the old KMC food processing plant near Cheriton, to clean up contamination caused by three large underground fuel storage tanks.
And DEQ enforcers met with Billy Moore on Thursday to discuss, yet again, the disposal of tons of contaminated soil at his asphalt plant near Nassawadox.
``We just kicked around some ideas,'' said Harold Winer with DEQ's Tidewater Regional Office. ``We've been trying to work out a solution that works for everybody. It couldn't be done overnight.''
Actually, it's been years. Moore's operation, which burned contaminants out of the soil, was shut down in 1992. Left to dispose of was 26,000 tons of contaminated dirt.
Many locals feared the leftover waste would never be cleaned and that rain washing through it might pollute local groundwater. The dirt is still there.
``We know of no impact from these piles at all,'' said Winer. But he said the DEQ had had not tested the soil or groundwater beneath the contaminated dirt.
In February, the DEQ notified Moore that the dirt could be used as daily cover for the county landfill. Daily cover can be considered in the same category as waste, said Winer.
But Moore cannot use the contaminated soil for intermediate or final cover at the landfill because it's still too polluted.
Winer said his office will decide in 90 days what to do about Moore's situation.
Down-county, the saga of Pemsco continues. Pemsco is another company that wanted to treat contaminated soil in Northampton. President Ray Golden bought the KMC food processing plant outside Cheriton for his operations base.
A 1993 environmental study of the property showed it to be contaminated by fuels, heavy metals, pesticides and asbestos. Two railroad cars had been buried on the grounds and used as 10,000-gallon storage tanks. There's another 500-gallon underground tank as well.
In June 1994, DEQ told the former owner, Ned Doughty, that he was responsible for KMC's clean-up. But in February 1996, Pemsco agreed to assume responsibility for the contamination.
On May 22, the State Water Control Board ordered Pemsco to close the underground storage tanks by July 1. The tanks can stay where they are because of the ``physical hazard presented by the poor structural integrity of the chimneys in the vicinity of these tanks,'' said the consent order.
By Aug. 1, Pemsco is required to submit a report on pollution in four deep wells and four monitoring wells. The company must report any other underground tanks. Then Pemsco is ordered to do a pollution risk assessment.
From that, the company must devise a preliminary remediation plan. Sixty days after DEQ gets the risk and remediation assessments, Pemsco is required to submit a corrective action plan and implementation schedule.
So far, Pemsco is behind schedule. The consent order required PEMSCO to get all appropriate building permits from Northampton County for closing the underground storage tanks by June 1.
County officials say no permits have been issued.
KEYWORDS: POLLUTION CONTAMINATED SOIL EASTERN SHORE by CNB