Article date: April 21, 2001

By Mary Jordan

As plans for the redevelopment of the former Avtex Superfund site continue moving forward, one local group is protesting what it calls unhealthy plans for the environment.

However, officials close to the project say they are following guidelines set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Maya White Sparks, a member of the Coalition for the Safe Re-Development of Avtex, said the group’s concerns are centered on the storage of toxic waste in the flood plain of the Shenandoah River.

The group plans to address the issue during a protest to be held today from noon to 3 p.m. in front of the Avtex site on Kendrick Lane.

Sparks said the rally is "designed to inform people, to empower them, and to see that there are other people out there who care about the healing of Mother Earth."

According to Sparks, the EPA wants to store sludge and fly ash in the flood plain of the river. Spark’s concern is that the walls of the basins could be washed away by flood waters, either over time or all at once.

"Flowing water is a very powerful force and an unpredictable force," Sparks said. "As much as they like to think they can predict what Mother Nature will do, they often are not able to do that."

The basins walls will be covered with materials that will cover the area and allow water to flow over it, said Rick Goss, project manager for Decision Quest, which provides public outreach and communication services for former site owner FMC Corp. FMC is responsible for the site’s cleanup.

Besides properly constructing shelter to cover all the potential toxins, the firm also will routinely check on the area, ensuring that materials stay in the basins, Goss said.

Chemicals such as zinc, arsenic, copper, lead and chromium are in the basins, Sparks said.

However, Goss said the only chemical of concern is zinc, which makes up about 20 percent of the material.

Sparks said her group just wants to make sure the EPA is being thorough and safe.

"They need to do the job right and not sweep this under a carpet, and that’s basically what they’re going to do," Sparks said. "We’re going to do whatever we can to apply pressure to the EPA to change their decision on this basin plan."

Sparks said she is concerned about the toxins in the basins because they are not only a threat to the river, but to people and organisms.

"If the toxins that are in these basins were released in the river, it would affect lower organisms and the birds, mammals and fish that feed on the lower organisms, and it could also affect people who might want to eat the fish once it gets in the food chain," Sparks said.

Goss said that the EPA considered moving the material, but later determined that the best remedy would be to cap it at its present location.

"The reason the basins are being covered is not because they’re a risk to humans," Goss said. "It’s for the potential risk to wildlife."