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Below ground and out of sight, mercury,
chromium and arsenic are sitting in a pool of caustic brine that continues
to leak into Glynn County’s drinking water aquifer below the LCP Chemicals
Superfund Site. The EPA calls this area the Caustic Brine Pool, which is
located where the production buildings once stood. Mercury, metals, and
caustic brine are leaking through the confining layer protecting the
drinking water aquifer. The leakage is thought to have been caused by the
underground pool of caustic brine. With a pH of around 13, it is suspected
that the confining layer was dissolved by the caustic brine or otherwise
made porous. In areas where mercury levels are rising in groundwater, the
pH is also rising. Sampling results from 1999 through 2003 indicate the
problem is getting worse.
At the June 23, 2005, public
meeting, the EPA said they are trying to get an agreement with the
Responsible Parties to propose a plan to fix the problem. The EPA’s plan is
to draft legal agreements, negotiate with the polluters, and then look at
proposals about how to fix the problem. Meanwhile, the contamination of
drinking water resources worsens. No date or timeline has been set to
address this serious threat to water resources.
The Georgia Environmental Protection
Division (GA-EPD) estimates that there are about 300,000 pounds of mercury
sitting above the leak into the drinking water aquifer, and has proposed
prompt action. At a minimum, the GA-EPD wants enough water pumped from the
area above the leak to prevent further contamination of drinking water.
Both mercury and caustic brine
freely leaked during operations at the LCP Chemicals Site and dissolved the
soil under the production buildings. Buildings actually had to be propped
up for safety before they could be disassembled. Damage to the buildings
was seen as they cracked and settled. Damage to our drinking water
resources will continue out of sight until action is taken to fix the
problem.
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P. O. Box 2443