Dumping in the Delaware River

[Mike]

With all the awareness going on about the clean water act, and contractors doing what they can to comply with the epa, I came across a news story this week about the US Army wanting to dump thousands of gallons of VX Nerve Gas by-product from western Indiana into the Delaware River!? I mean of all places to dump this stuff why a river?? There are guys getting fines for letting a gallon of dirty water into the street and the Army wants to dump thousands of gallons of this stuff into a river. Am I missing something?

[One Tough Pressure]

April 6 2005

VX byproduct disposal plan called flawed


Wednesday, April 6, 2005

Lawmaker: Study cites questions on trace elements of deadly agent

By JIM WALSH
Courier-Post Staff
CARNEYS POINT


A new federal study finds serious flaws in a proposal to dispose of the byproduct of a lethal Cold War-era nerve agent at a DuPont Inc. plant here, a local congressman said Tuesday.

"I believe this could and should put an end to this idea," U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews, D-Haddon Heights, said of the report on the plan to neutralize the VX nerve agent. The report is to be released today by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report cites concerns over potential pollutants in the treated byproduct, which would be discharged into the Delaware River, including possible trace elements of the deadly nerve gas, Andrews said.

According to the report, the federal Environmental Protection Agency "concluded that the information regarding the ecologic risk of treated (VX) discharge into the Delaware River was inadequate," said Andrews, who read from the report. "Consequently, CDC cannot recommend proceeding with the treatment and disposal . . . until EPA's noted deficiencies are addressed."

Andrews said the report cited possible pollution problems from heavy metals and caustic phosphonic acids. "It also found they can't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there won't be trace elements of nerve agent (in the wastewater)," he said.

DuPont believes it can satisfy the CDC's concerns, said company spokesman Anthony Farina.

"DuPont will not move forward . . . until the technical recommendations from the report are reviewed and addressed," he said. "What matters to us is that we do it safely and correctly."

DuPont wants to treat and dispose of wastewater that would be created through the chemical neutralization of the nerve agent stored at an Army facility in Indiana. The byproduct would be shipped to DuPont's Chambers Works plant in Salem County.

Said Farina: "We agree with the CDC that the Army's (nerve-agent) destruction process needs to be confirmed at the Indiana facility. . . . We will not accept any wastewater for transport or treatment that contains any detectable level of nerve agent."

He also said the CDC appears to overlook new technology at Chambers Works designed to remove phosphonic acids.

Andrews said the study found the procedure will eliminate only half of the 1,269 tons of nerve agent stored in Indiana. "It's not very cost-effective," he said.

He said the report also had some good news for DuPont, finding that the byproduct could be shipped safely to South Jersey and that DuPont's process would protect against some pollutants.

Andrews said he would call today for the Army's project to be scrapped at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee.

The CDC report was requested in March 2004 by several South Jersey legislators, including Andrews.

[Beth n Rod]

Amazing... thanks for posting this!

Beth

[PressurePros]

It is amazing, and not thirty miles away in one of my target areas, it is illegal to let soap from washing your car run into a storm drain.

[Mike]

Here's a link to the story I came across this past week about this topic:

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...73207472674632

What I am confused about is... so they make this stuff "safe" and they feel they can dispose of the by-product, why would the government allow them to dump it into a river of all places?

Heres an update:

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...73207473042055