>>ANNOUNCER: Promoting a healthy environment...
It's the air we breathe...
Clean, safe water...
Responsible management of our natural resources...
We protect and restore for a sustainable future --
Environment Matters.
>>NARRATION: More problems at the Freedom
Industries site after heavy rains cause stormwater from the site to overflow into the Elk River
-- prompting the change of the contractor hired to do the site remediation.
Plus: >>STEVE WILLIAMS: "This is an indication of
how cities and states and neighborhoods can work together and be able to make sure that
something happens that is good for the community..."
>>NARRATION: In less than two years The Wild Ramp has helped local farmers and food producers
to the tune of 400-thousand dollars -- not a bad return on investment from what started
with the help of a five thousand dollar DEP mini-grant.
We'll check out the Grand Opening of the Wild Ramp's new, larger West Huntington location.
>>GREG ADOLFSON: Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Environment Matters.
I'm Greg Adolfson with the WV Dept. of Environmental Protection.
On two consecutive days earlier this month, Freedom Industries failed to prevent a stormwater
collection trench from overflowing -- causing runoff from the site to spill into the Elk
River.
The DEP issued a total of three Notices of Violation to Freedom Industries and Cabinet
Secretary Randy Huffman called for the site's environmental contractor -- Civil and Environmental
Consultants out of Pennsylvania to be removed.
On June 18th the bankruptcy court appointed restructuring team overseeing Freedom Industries
announced it would transition to a different contractor.
On June 12th, a DEP inspector on site noticed water overflowing from a containment trench
and manually restarted a sump pump which stopped the overflow.
It was later determined by DEP investigators that a float level, designed to trip the pump
on, was improperly set.
During the June 13th incident, the sump pump was working but apparently could not keep
up with the heavy flow of rainwater.
A backup pump was activated and brought the overflow under control after about 50 minutes.
The containment trenches are designed to catch rainwater and groundwater running across polluted
soil at the site and keep it from seeping into the river.
Following the two overflow events, corrective measures were put in place to prevent a reoccurrence.
They include raising the berm along low spots in the trench -- including the spot where
the overflows took place, the installation of an additional backup pump for a total of
three pumps along the trench and implementing 24/7 monitoring of the site.
Water samples tested at the site and downstream at West Virginia American Water's Charleston
treatment plant showed non-detect levels of the chemical MCHM.
On January 9th, an above ground storage tank at the site leaked an estimated 10-thousand
gallons of crude MCHM -- a chemical used in the coal preparation process -- to spill into
the Elk River.
The spill contaminated the drinking water for roughly 300-thousand area residents for
several days.
Demolition and removal of the steel tanks from the site is expected to begin later this
summer and is expected to take two to four weeks to complete.
Six fiberglass tanks have already been torn down.
Once the tanks have been removed, the site will be analyzed to determine the extent of
soil and groundwater contamination so remediation work can begin.
Governor Tomblin ordered all the tanks and related equipment at the site dismantled and
removed following the spill.
The DEP has opened the registration period for above ground storage tank owners to submit
their information required for a statewide inventory.
The Above Ground Storage Tank Act, passed by the state legislature and signed into law
by the governor earlier this spring when into effect June 6th.
The law applies to all above ground storage tanks in the state that hold at least 1320
gallons of fluid, are in one place for more than 60 days and are 90 percent or more above
ground.
Tanks defined as process vessels -- sewage treatment tanks, for example, are exempt from
the law.
The DEP actually opened the registration process one month early to give tank owners more time
to comply with the law.
Tanks must be registered with the DEP by October 1st.
A mystery substance spotted floating in the New River earlier this month is believed to
be algae.
This picture was taken from the Fayette Station Bridge.
If you look next to the rocks you may be able to see a rust colored sheen on the water.
Inspectors from the DEP collected water samples for testing.
When viewed under the microscope, the samples were all found to contain the same type of
natural organic material.
John Wirts, Deputy Director of the Watershed branch of the DEP's Division of Water and
Waste Management says since the Freedom Industries spill, people seem to be more vigilant.
>>JOHN WIRTS: "I do think people are paying much more close attention to the way the water
looks and then reporting on it at a higher level, too.
In this case, environmental enforcement folks -- inspectors were out pretty much as soon
as they got the call looking to see if there was any evidence of a spill -- trying to track
a source down if there was single source.
It didn't appear in this case that it was.
Lots of calls go on among the different groups to try and figure out if they know something
at the waste water plant or if the coal facility knows something and in our case we just had
the microscopes here and the ability to at least look at the sample in that way."
>>GREG ADOLFSON: Samples were sent to an outside lab to confirm our results.
The DEP has issued fines to a coal prep plant in Kanawha County following a slurry spill
in February.
Patriot Coal Corporation's Kanawha Eagle Prep Plant will pay more than $72,000 in penalties
resulting from the February 11th spill near Winifrede.
A malfunction in a slurry pipeline at the plant dumped a company estimated 108,000 gallons
of slurry into Fields Creek -- a tributary of the Kanawha River.
The spill impacted roughly six miles of stream.
Every year the DEP recognizes the efforts of state industries, municipalities, educators
and community leaders who strive to protect the environment, work to be good corporate
neighbors and to educate the citizens of the state by sharing the DEP's mission of promoting
a healthy environment.
This year, 21 Awards of Environmental Excellence were presented at a ceremony here at DEP headquarters
in Charleston.
Industrial facilities are nominated by DEP inspectors who work to ensure their compliance
with state environmental laws.
Other Environmental Award winners were nominated by DEP personnel who work with volunteer and
other community based efforts.
DEP Cabinet Secretary Randy Huffman presented the awards, thanking the recipients and urging
them to keep up the good work.
>>RANDY HUFFMAN: "Twenty five years ago we were all focused on waste tires and litter
over the hillside -- now we're interested in a lot more things and there are a lot more
things that we have to do so I encourage you to keep that up and it really comes down to
being about the concept of sustainability.
Ask yourself the question in whatever endeavor you take: Can you do this, whatever you're
doing today, can it be done a hundred years?
Can it be done five hundred years from now?
In this country we went through an industrial revolution where we used our resources as
though they were unlimited and we polluted our environment as though we were never going
to have to live in it and neither one of those things are true.
We learned a lot this winter with the water crisis we had here in Charleston about just
how precious water is, how valuable it is and how close to chaos things can be whenever
people don't have it and so in all that you do, remember that whatever your goal you're
not going to get there by cleaning up trash, by improving the water, by the air but it
still has to be done.
It's a journey that will take your lifetime and your children's lifetime and it will go
on because there are a lot of people on this planet and we're going to be here for a while
so we have to manage it accordingly."
>>GREG ADOLFSON: One group recognized for their Environmental Stewardship was the Raleigh
County Solid Waste Authority's Recycling and Education Center.
The DEP's Alec Neu has this profile...
>>NARRATION: Protecting tomorrow, today is the motto of the Raleigh County Solid Waste
Authority.
In addition to being a state of the art recycling center, the facility features an impressive
education center featuring theater style seating for up to 100 children at a time.
That hands on approach has helped create a successful county-wide recycling program.
>>Lisa Suggs: "I think our main buy in from the community comes from our educators being
out in the community, going into schools, garden clubs -- we open our facility for any
club or organization to come and use it and to tour it and the tours and going into the
schools really peaks the interest of not only the kids but the kids take it home to their
parents."
>>NARRATION: Taking the tour today -- a group of preschoolers from Shady Spring...
>>Sherri Hunter: "What's going to be in that hole in the ground some day?
>>KIDS: Trash!
>>Sherri Hunter: That's why we should recycle more!
>>NARRATION: Sherrie Hunter is Director of Education for the Raleigh County Solid Waste
Authority and chief tour guide for this busload of 4 and 5 year olds.
With her help, the county school system established a recycling program that has grown from 11
schools in 2001 to more than 30 schools today.
The bottom line -- as of last year more than 3,700 tons of recycling -- earning participating
schools nearly $170,000.
Turning trash into cash for school programs that otherwise would have to find funding
elsewhere -- and just one reason for this year's Environmental Excellence award...
>Lisa Suggs: "We were thrilled.
We were really thrilled.
We've worked very hard here at the Raleigh County Solid Waste Authority to make sure
not only recycling but the whole facility is top notch and it makes us really proud
that we were recognized for that work."
>>NARRATION: In Beckley, I'm Alec Neu for Environment Matters.
>>GREG ADOLFSON: For a complete list of the winners, you can check out the news section
of our website: dep.wv.gov.
The DEP's Division of Land Restoration has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the U.S.
EPA to help deal with the problem of brownfields.
The Brownfields Petroleum Assessment Grant will fund site assessments of properties that
may have been contaminated by petroleum based pollutants.
The DEP conducts site assessments across the state but the grant will focus primarily on
eight areas in Nicholas, Fayette and Raleigh counties.
In agency coordinates with the West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Centers at WVU and
Marshall University on brownfield projects and redevelopment efforts.
The centers also help develop grant proposals for the DEP and other West Virginia communities.
The EPA also awarded brownfields funding to the Wayne County Economic Development Authority,
the city of Morgantown, the city of Thomas in Tucker County and the Wyoming County Economic
Development Authority.
The West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center will hold its annual conference this September
in Huntington.
Coming up: >>Diana Haid: "The kids make connections and
they have Facebook pages and they talk about it and they ask each other -- Are you coming
back this year?
So they reconnect with the friends that they've made from one year to the next."
>>Narration: A summer tradition -- Junior Conservation Camp -- how one of the Youth
Environmental Program's most popular events continues to attract fans -- year after year.
Plus: Going Green -- Marshall Green that is.
The Thundering Herd pays a visit to DEP headquarters for a preview at this fall's upcoming football
season.
Those stories and more when Environment Matters continues.