CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (WCMH) -- In 2022, the Ohio EPA described Chillicothe's Pixelle paper mill closing as "worst-case scenario" in the fight to contain a toxic underground plume. Now, that fear is coming true.
The Pixelle paper plant announced its closure in April, and its roughly 800 employees will be laid off when it closes next month. The paper plant has been a physical and economic pillar in Chillicothe since the 19th century, but Ohio EPA documents show it also plays an important role in keeping an underground plume of carcinogens from spreading. Without the plant, Chillicothe and Ohio need to find another solution to keep residents safe. See previous coverage of the closure in the video player above.
"We've got a serious problem that's going to have to get addressed one way or another," said Chillicothe resident Jason Salley, who has independently investigated the effects of the plume and local manufacturing plants for years. "We can't sweep it under the rug like the community has done, officials, for the last 30 years. Now we've got a crisis on our hands.”
Olentangy coach resigns amid investigation into inappropriate text messagesThe plume was first documented in 1980s. It is part of leftover contamination from cookware manufacturer WearEver Aluminum, which closed in the 1990s and was located near the mill. According to Ohio EPA documents, the WearEver plant left behind dangerous chemicals, including a large toxic plume that lives in Chillicothe's groundwater. Since the 1990s, Ohio EPA documents have shown one crucial protection keeps the plume at bay: the paper mill.
According to the Ohio EPA, these toxins include TCE, short for trichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride. The National Institute of Health says both TCE and vinyl chloride can cause cancer and other serious health conditions. As of March, well samples near the plume measured as much as 15 times the recommended maximum contaminant level for TCE and 100 times the maximum level for vinyl chloride.
The Ohio EPA has already observed concerns. The paper plant paused its well use for maintenance in the 2000s and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each time the pauses correlated with a spike in TCE concentrations.
"People think the Chillicothe paper plant is immortal, and nobody could ever grasp the fact or the idea that it could go away," Salley said.
Ohio House overrides one budget vetoLinda Weavers, an Ohio State University professor and the codirector of the Ohio Water Resources Center, explained the paper mill helps keep the plume in place through a series of wells. According to the Ohio EPA, key paper mill wells used more than 1 billion gallons of water each year. Weavers explained that these wells were constantly pulling down the groundwater levels, keeping the plume from rising to the surface or spreading.
"Essentially, what the Pixelle wells are doing is sort of flushing the contaminated water out of the system," Weavers said. "When you stop, the contaminants that are stuck on the soil have more time to interact with the water and release more of the contamination, or what seems like a higher concentration, because it has more time to kind of get to an equilibrium point."
Weavers said groundwater moves slowly, but the plume will migrate without the paper mill containing it. Ohio EPA documents show losing the paper mill even shifts the direction of groundwater flow toward local farms and the Scioto River.
If the TCE and other contaminants migrate, they could seep into Chillicothe's soil, get into the air or complicate the city's water systems. Chillicothe's water treatment plant is nearly above the plume's current position.
Salley said he's concerned about the issue, which is why he's spent the last five years investigating it and explaining his findings on his site, Ohio Atomic Press. For Salley, it's personal; he said his uncle worked at the WearEver plant and he believes his death is linked to chemical exposure from the site.
"He couldn't go any further than his oxygen tank would let him go," Salley said. "So, I watched my hero just fade away. And then afterwards, I started looking through his medical records, seeing a lot of talk of benzene, a lot of different chemicals.”
Shot during a robbery, former Ohio State wrestler now facing Pennsylvania gun, drug chargesSalley said he's reached out to Chillicothe elected officials multiple times over the past two years about his concerns with the plume, but received no response. NBC4 also reached out to Chillicothe's water departments, as well as the WearEver plant site's current owners, but also did not hear back.
“Nobody has ever tried to find those answers, and it's time we do that," Salley said. "The community deserves it. My family deserves it. That's why this fight means so much to me, and why it should mean a lot to the rest of the citizens and residents.”
The Ohio EPA, in partnership with the company that owns the former WearEver plant, conducts regular assessments of the plume to make sure it does not migrate somewhere more dangerous. A site assessment this month from the Ohio EPA said there will need to be changes to stop the plume from migrating, but those changes have not yet been set.
JobsOhio and Pixelle have also entered into an agreement that holds Pixelle responsible for some environmental remediation on the site. Weavers said it's encouraging that the Ohio EPA is looking into it, but warned these situations are hard to fix.
“It should be a lesson that we keep learning as humans, right? You just don't contaminate in the first place, because it's crazy expensive and it never goes away," Weavers said.
The Pixelle plant is scheduled to close by Aug. 10.
Hence then, the article about worst case scenario without paper mill toxic underground plume could rise and spread in chillicothe was published today ( ) and is available on NBC4 ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 'Worst-case scenario:' Without paper mill, toxic underground plume could rise and spread in Chillicothe )
Also on site :