EPA explains how

June 18, 1999

Environmental Protection Agency officials Thursday night outlined plans to clean up sulfate basins and mountains of fly ash at the former Avtex Fibers plant in Front Royal that they hope will lead to reclamation of a natural environment conducive to recreation and other activities.

Bonnie Gross and Richard R. Kuhn presented aspects of a $17.5 million program their agency has developed to arrest the environmental damage that has been done at Avtex since American Viscose first began operations in 1940.

"Our plan centers around isolating three basic management units on the Avtex site," said Kuhn, a public affairs specialist based in Philadelphia. "The sulfate basins and waste water treatment plant, which are full of sulfate sludge, and the fly ash management unit, which is basically a mountain of fly ash, are our concerns right now."

Kuhn said those sites are of special concern because they are in the flood plain of the Shenandoah River and, in the case of severe flooding, could deposit large amounts of the harmful substances into the river, posing risk to aquatic life and animals that feed on them.

"There have already been several floods that covered these units in the years since we started looking at the site," Kuhn said. "The longer we let these units go, the more the chances increase that there will be another that could be even worse."

Ms. Gross said the EPA's plan is to consolidate the site's entire 1 million cubic yards of sulfate sludge into four existing sulfate basins. The agency will then cover the basins with an "enhanced soil" made of fly ash and a geotextile fiber that will be hospitable to new vegetation.

A similar plan was developed for the mountains of fly ash on the property.

"We plan to cover both the fly ash basin and the fly ash stockpile with 2 feet of topsoil and re-vegetate the entire thing," Ms. Gross said. "This plan will reduce the risk of wind and rain erosion which can spread the fly ash like dust all over the place and deposit it in the river."

According to Kuhn, one of the most attractive aspects of EPA's plan is that it will return the Avtex site to a natural looking environment, making it much more attractive than the current, bombed-out look of the plant that was abandoned in 1989.

"The new soil will support all kinds of vegetation," he said. "We just have to be careful that it is the right kind and won't dip down into the sulfate deposits underneath."

Also, because EPA believes that none of the chemicals present in the sulfate sludge or fly ash will be of any great threat to humans once the area has been covered, the area will be perfect for reuse as a pedestrian' recreation area, complete with athletic fields, scenic overlooks and river access, he said.

"Our three main goals for Avtex are to put a stop to the current and future environmental problems the site poses, to comply with all local, state and federal regulations and to meet the town's reuse needs, making the site available as a pedestrian recreation area," he said. "If we can do that, then we will have done our jobs."

EPA hopes to complete the basin closures and prepare the Avtex site for reuse by the town and Warren County by the fall of 2001. It will continue to monitor the area for environmental problems indefinitely.

"Avtex is one of the biggest environmental problem sites in Virginia," Ms. Gross said. "That, coupled with the fact that it has been abandoned for years, makes it one of the most difficult sites to contend with as well."

· 1940 American Viscose begins producing Rayon at a plant located on the east bank of the Shenandoah River.

· 1963 American Viscose sells the plant and property to the FMC Corp.

· 1976 FMC Corporation sells the plant and property to Avtex Fibers Inc.

· 1982 The state detects carbon disulfide in residential wells across the river and alerts the Environmental Protection Agency.

· 1984 EPA proposes that the Avtex plant be addressed under the federal Superfund program for sites of extreme environmental risk.

· 1986-1988 Avtex conducts an investigation of the source and extent of the carbon disulfide in the ground water. It determines that waste viscose containing carbon disulfide is leaking from three of 11 viscose storage basins at the plant.

· 1989 EPA decides to conduct a site-wide investigation of the Avtex plant. Shortly after the decision is announced, Avtex closes the plant and files for bankruptcy.

· 1990 EPA identifies the FMC Corp. as responsible party in the environmental deterioration of the Avtex site.

· 1993 and 1994 The EPA and FMC conduct a site-wide investigation of the Avtex site, testing waste-disposal areas, on-site soils and ground water to assess the environmental condition of the area.

· 1997 EPA utilizes the information

gathered in it 1993/1994 investigation of the Avtex site to evaluate the ecological impact it has on the human and environmental health of the region.

· 1999 EPA announces its Removal Proposed Plan to halt present environmental and health risks posed by the Avtex site. The agency begins the process of making the area safe for future recreational use consistent with the reuse plan adopted by Front Royal and Warren County.