Since EPA started cleanup at the Avtex Superfund site, an important aspect of the work has been to ensure that the water from the storage ponds which contain viscose, zinc, and other contaminants does not get into, the Shenandoah River.

Periods of heavy rainfall could fill the ponds to the top of the surrounding levees and then overflow into the river.

FMC Corporation operates the Avtex water treatment plant as needed to maintain the water at safe levels. Because of the small amount of snow last winter, and the relatively light rain in the spring, the plant was shut down from last fall until May of this year.

Since May, the plant has been running at a fraction of its capacity as the rainfall has continued to be light.

In August, a group of members of the Friends of the Shenandoah River toured the Avtex wastewater treatment plant and the storage lagoons with Bill Ferguson of FMC and Caroline Oppelman of Environmental Issues Management.

One of the most interesting sights of the tour was the wetland which has developed in Storage Lagoon #6. It was used to dispose of fly ash from the coal-fired power plant. Fly ash is not toxic and is not a pollutant. Aquatic plants including cat tails are growing in profusion and the lagoon is now inhabited by ducks, geese, herons, beaver and other wildlife.

During the visit, a duck and a green heron were sighted.

This wetland would be a significant addition to a wildlife preserve which has been envisioned as the best use of the areas near the river and those in the flood plain.

Sadly, EPA is proposing to fill this valuable wetland with debris from Avtex buildings found to be structurally unsafe, and are slated to be demolished. The reasoning behind this proposal is that on-site burial of the building debris is the least expensive method of disposal.

Since some of the debris is contaminated, it must be buried in a lined, leakproof site. Lagoon #6 was proposed because after some dredging the remaining fly ash will provide a good base for a heavy plastic liner, which is needed to prevent leakage.

Although alternative disposal sites have not been considered to date, it is hoped that EPA will consider other on-site alternatives. One possibility might be the mountain of fly ash which is well above the flood plain. An excavation could be made in it and it would provide the same good support for a liner.

Another possibility is to line the basements of the deteriorated buildings with concrete and implode them down into the resulting sealed basin. Whatever method is chosen, the wetland should be saved.