Asheville, NC -- At the request of Representative Heath Shuler, twelve representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources gathered in Asheville on Thursday to brief staff members from his office as well as staff members from the offices of Senators Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole regarding the CTS hazardous waste site in Buncombe County. Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Chairman Nathan Ramsey also attended.
During the five-hour meeting, staff members and Commissioner Ramsey demanded answers to questions about the status of testing and mitigation efforts at the CTS site. They also questioned EPA and DENR representatives about the degree of cooperation that the agencies are receiving from CTS Corporation, one of the parties responsible for the contamination.
To date, CTS Corporation has been cooperative with the EPA and NC DENR in efforts to clean the site. CTS Corporation has paid for the installation of equipment to extract the toxic chemical TCE from soil near the plant, and for testing that would detect TCE in ambient air around homes near the site.
CTS Corporation is also currently engaged in groundwater assessment at six locations surrounding the plant. This initial phase of groundwater testing, which is being conducted by an independent third party contractor and overseen by specialists from DENR, will assist the state agency in determining the most effective remedial action for cleanup of the site. CTS will then be required to follow this remediation plan, using the most effective technology available.
Additionally, CTS Corporation entered into an agreement last week to also clean-up nearby springs through a pilot program that will safely neutralize TCE by injecting ozone into the water.
"I am pleased with the amount of attention that this site is receiving from state and federal agencies, and that CTS Corporation will continue to be held responsible for its actions,” said Rep. Shuler, who did not attend the meeting. “Steps have been taken to remedy the situation, but this community deserves more. They deserve a full and proper cleanup of this site."
The need for a firm timeline of remaining actions to be taken by CTS Corporation, the EPA, and NC DENR was stressed by those in attendance.
While action plans for remedial efforts are finalized, Rep. Shuler maintains that the number one priority in this situation is to make sure that the health and safety of families in the area are not jeopardized.
At Rep. Shuler's insistence, representatives of EPA and DENR committed to formulating and implementing a strategy for periodic testing of wells in the area to identify any new cases of contamination. Residents whose wells show elevated levels of TCE will immediately be incorporated into the municipal water system.
"The real heroes in this situation are the citizens of this community who spent years gathering information, requested the assistance of their elected officials, and demanded that their health and wellbeing be protected. I promise the residents of the Mills Gap area that I will stand with them until this situation is resolved," Rep. Shuler concluded.
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