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Fort Valley Honored for Woolfolk Clean Up
Adam Hammond
Story Created:
Jul 9, 2009 at 9:46 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Jul 9, 2009 at 10:54 PM CDT
In 1920 the Woolfolk Chemical Company packaged agricultural pesticides on this site in Fort Valley. The Environmental Protection Agency says the company contaminated soil with arsenic becoming a danger to the water supply.
"The dust from this material got scattered all over the area and that's why in the course of these twelve years the agency has cleaned up 60 yards and attic dust and all of that because it was a wind born contaminant," said Fort Valley Mayor John Stumbo.
The city received a regional award for excellence in Site Reuse Thursday after a 12 year clean up effort. Contaminated soil has been treated and hauled out of the area as well as continued water testing.
"The soils that you see behind me will be excavated and the areas that need to be paved will be paved hopefully by 2010," said EPA Project Manager Charles King.
The EPA says under other circumstances the site would have been fenced off as a danger zone, but thanks to the tireless efforts of the Woolfolk Citizens Response Group the area now has a new Library and restored antebellum home.
"This award is very rare. It's not given very often, but it's a great day for us because it's a tribute for all the people both local citizens and agency people who have made this site remediation work," said Stumbo.
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