FULL EXPOSURE: See Behind-the-Scene Photos of the Worst Environmental Disaster in Caribbean History - Part 1 On June 13, 2014, the deJongh administration announced that it had reached a settlement between $125M to $145M with companies who were responsible for environmental violations that has damage the south shore of St. Croix United States Virgin Islands. This settlement was a drop-in-the-bucket for the magnitude of the environmental destruction to that island. In May 2012, WESTON SOLUTIONS, INC. Edison, NJ, prepared an Expanded Site Inspection and Removal Assessment Report of the St. Croix Alumina (Renaissance Park) Site (Document Control No. 1455-2A-ATIW) for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and concluded: The Site is located within the South Shore Industrial Complex along the south-central coast of St. Croix. The subject property, which consists of several parcels and has a total surface area of approximately 1,250 acres [SCSE, 2002], is currently owned by St. Croix Renaissance Group, LLLP (SCRG). The property is zoned for industrial use and is bordered by the HOVENSA oil refinery on the east; USVI government property (Container Port and Molasses Pier) on the southeast; the Caribbean Sea on the south; a municipal landfill, wastewater treatment plant, racetrack, and Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on the west; and the Bethlehem Village/Profit Hills (a.k.a. Harvey) and Estate Profit (a.k.a. Matthews Charles) residential neighborhoods across a four-lane highway on the north. In addition, the Diageo rum distillery in the northern portion of the property was constructed in 2009-2010 and began operating in November 2010. Molasses tanks for the distillery are installed in the former location of refinery tanks. There have been various documented petroleum releases at the Site throughout the years and a resultant plume of separate-phase petroleum hydrocarbons exists on the water table in the eastern portion of the Site, north of Alucroix Channel.....Leaks from tanks and associated piping at the Site and the adjacent HOVENSA facility created the plume, which is being remediated under an Administrative Consent Order with EPA. During the plant shutdown in 1985, approximately 19 million gallons of spent caustic liquor containing arsenic and chromium and diluted with seawater were pumped into the cooling ponds. The release resulted in a layer of solids (i.e., milky white precipitate) that was subsequently dredged for disposal in RMB. Additional releases of more than 80,000 gallons of plant liquor to the cooling ponds are documented for the period from 1992 to 1994. During the same timeframe, there were releases of fly ash and filtrate to the cooling ponds, sulfuric acid to the ground and to the ship channel, and coal particulate to the ship channel [G&M, 1995]. In September 1998, wind-blown fugitive dust, identified as bauxite by VIDPNR, was deposited onto residential properties located 750 feet north of the Site as a result of Hurricane Georges. Observations by VIDPNR indicated that reddish material had been deposited onto the residential structures and their drinking water cisterns. EPA sampling confirmed that bauxite was in the cisterns.. VIDPNR issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) to St. Croix Alumina (SCA) for the fugitive dust release, determining that there were no precautionary measures in place to secure the stockpiled bauxite from hurricane winds. Residents located north of the Site have reported red dust deposition on rooftops, inside cisterns, in outdoor gardens, and on indoor furniture associated with hurricanes and other high wind events. The highest concentrations of vanadium and chromium were observed in the red mud waste from Red Mud Disposal Area A and Red Mud Disposal Area B, and the highest arsenic levels were detected red mud leachate (well GM-22) and ash from the Ash Disposal Pond. The highest activity levels for radioisotopes were found in the red mud waste from Red Mud Disposal Area A and Red Mud Disposal Area B The results of the September 2011 EPA sampling investigation at the Site show that migration of red mud and related contaminants from source areas continues to have an impact on downstream water bodies and ground water in the Kingshill aquifer and overlying units. The contamination poses a potential threat to receptor areas, including mangrove wetland areas, waterbird and endangered/threatened species habitats, fisheries, and fresh ground water in the Kingshill aquifer. This investigative report goes on to lay out the magnitude of the toxic chemical destruction to what was once pristine farm land. This question has yet to be answered: Why hasnt Delegate (Doctor) Donna Christensen provided any evidence of a long term human health impact study by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of residents in this environment disaster zone? Delegate Christensen has been the Virgin Islands Delegate to Congress for 18 years and has admitted publicly that she was a Virgin Islands public health official prior to being elected to Congress. Delegate Christensen, can you produce any results from your efforts in conducting a long term human health impact study on your constituents on St. Croix?
Posted on: Sun, 22 Jun 2014 00:07:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015