CAROLINA DHEC IS HOSTING A PUBLIC MEETING IN GREENVILLE TO DISCUSS A PROPOSED PLAN FOR CLEANUP EFFORTS IN WHAT OFFICIALS SAY IS A CONTAMINATED AREA OF THE CITY. OFFICIALS WITH THE SOUTH CAROLINA ENVIRONMENTAL LAW PROJECT SAY THE BRAMBLITT ROAD SITE IN THE HISTORICALLY BLACK SOUTHERN SIDE AND NEWTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD IS FULL OF COAL TAR CONTAMINANTS, THEY SAY STUDIES SHOW CURRENTLY, THE CARCINOGENS IN THE SOIL, SEDIMENT AND GROUNDWATER ARE AT CONCENTRATIONS EXCEEDING 200 TIMES THE REGULATORY STANDARDS. REVEREND STACY MILLS HAS BEEN LEADING COMMUNITY EFFORTS TO CLEAN AND RESTORE THE SITE. IN 1917, THE BRAMBLITT MANUFACTURED GAS PLANT WAS BUILT IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD AND THEY SPILLED OVER TIME INTO THE REEDY RIVER. IN 1988 AND ILLEGAL OIL DUMP OR LANDFILL WAS CREATED BY THE VON CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, HE SAYS. AROUND 100,000 TONS OF GARBAGE WAS DUMPED AROUND THAT TIME. DUKE ENERGY NOW HAS A VOLUNTARY CLEANUP CONTRACT WITH DHEC ON THIS PROJECT.
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Public meeting to be held regarding contaminants in historic Greenville neighborhood
DHEC will be proposing a contaminant cleanup plan in the Southernside/Newton neighborhood of Greenville
South Carolina DHEC is hosting a public meeting on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Mountain View Baptist Church in Greenville to discuss a cleanup project plan proposal.The project will target the Bramlett Road area in Greenville's Southernside/Newton neighborhoods, which is a historically Black area.“In 1917, Bramlett Manufacturing Gas Plant was built in this neighborhood, and they spilled over time into the reedy river," Mountainview Baptist Church Senior Minister Rev. Stacey Mills said. "In 1988, an illegal dump or landfill was created by the Vaughn Construction company. They dumped right at 100,000 tons of garbage. The value and quality of life is severely compromised when you have a dump you’re not aware of in your backyard, and all of what could possibly emanate from that is a possibility to the lives of the people who have lived in this community. We’re really anxious to hear how this community can be made whole through this voluntary cleanup action.”Duke Energy has entered a voluntary cleanup contract with DHEC.In a release from the South Carolina Environmental Law Project: "The Bramlett Road site, located in the Southernside community, is surrounded by vibrant fellowship spaces and historic neighborhoods that have been a part of the heartbeat of Greenville for centuries. The extensive contamination there – with carcinogens in the soil, sediment, and groundwater at concentrations exceeding regulatory standards by as much as 220 times – must be removed, remediated, and restored without further delay.At the end of last year, Duke Energy released a Focused Feasibility Study as part of its Voluntary Cleanup Contract with DHEC. Now, DHEC is preparing to make a decision on which cleanup alternative it will adopt for the Bramlett site.DHEC will host a Public Meeting and will present its Proposed Plan and preferred alternative for cleaning up the site. However, the preferred alternative does not fully remediate all contamination, so this approach must be supplemented to be wholly comprehensive. SCELP is advocating for a fully restorative cleanup of the Bramlett site and all coal tar contamination, and we are urging DHEC to stand for environmental justice, center the community's needs, and comprehensively clean up the site." See the video above for the full story.
GREENVILLE, S.C. —
South Carolina DHEC is hosting a public meeting on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Mountain View Baptist Church in Greenville to discuss a cleanup project plan proposal.
The project will target the Bramlett Road area in Greenville's Southernside/Newton neighborhoods, which is a historically Black area.
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“In 1917, Bramlett Manufacturing Gas Plant was built in this neighborhood, and they spilled over time into the reedy river," Mountainview Baptist Church Senior Minister Rev. Stacey Mills said. "In 1988, an illegal dump or landfill was created by the Vaughn Construction company. They dumped right at 100,000 tons of garbage. The value and quality of life is severely compromised when you have a dump you’re not aware of in your backyard, and all of what could possibly emanate from that is a possibility to the lives of the people who have lived in this community. We’re really anxious to hear how this community can be made whole through this voluntary cleanup action.”
Duke Energy has entered a voluntary cleanup contract with DHEC.
In a release from the South Carolina Environmental Law Project:
"The Bramlett Road site, located in the Southernside community, is surrounded by vibrant fellowship spaces and historic neighborhoods that have been a part of the heartbeat of Greenville for centuries. The extensive contamination there – with carcinogens in the soil, sediment, and groundwater at concentrations exceeding regulatory standards by as much as 220 times – must be removed, remediated, and restored without further delay.
At the end of last year, Duke Energy released a Focused Feasibility Study as part of its Voluntary Cleanup Contract with DHEC. Now, DHEC is preparing to make a decision on which cleanup alternative it will adopt for the Bramlett site.
DHEC will host a Public Meeting and will present its Proposed Plan and preferred alternative for cleaning up the site. However, the preferred alternative does not fully remediate all contamination, so this approach must be supplemented to be wholly comprehensive. SCELP is advocating for a fully restorative cleanup of the Bramlett site and all coal tar contamination, and we are urging DHEC to stand for environmental justice, center the community's needs, and comprehensively clean up the site."
