FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 8, 2008
Public meeting on Saxon Mill cleanup set
COLUMBIA—A public meeting will be held in Spartanburg Feb. 12 to discuss environmental testing at the former Saxon Mill property, also known as the Conoco/Phillips Fibers Mill, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported today.
“Georgia Land Finance intends to foreclose on the property located at 11 Front Street,” said Craig V. Dukes, an environmental health manager in DHEC’s Bureau of Land and Waste Management. “Georgia Land Finance wants to sell the property for redevelopment but they cannot until they find out what the environmental conditions are in the soils under the mill.”
Dukes said the situation is typical of old textile and other manufacturing mills.
“We know some of the property has groundwater contamination that happened when the Conoco/Phillips Company ran the mill,” he said. “Conoco/Phillips is operating a system that will clean up the groundwater contamination but this may take many years. They will continue the groundwater cleanup system even after Georgia Land Finance takes over the property.”
Dukes said the meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Arcadia Elementary School Auditorium at 375 Spring Street, Spartanburg.
Dukes said the Georgia Land Finance Company wants to enter into a voluntary cleanup contract with DHEC.
“There may be other environmental problems that haven’t been found so this contract will allow Georgia Land Finance to do environmental testing and remove contamination under DHEC’s oversight,” he said.
Dukes said the voluntary cleanup contract is open for public comment until Feb. 28. DHEC weighs public comments to reach a balance between the property’s environmental and redevelopment issues. Comments will be accepted at the meeting, via telephone, letter, fax or e-mail. Documents are available on the DHEC Web site at http://www.scdhec.gov/environment/lwm/public_notice.asp. Anyone with questions about the site or the voluntary cleanup contract process may call Dukes toll-free at 1-866-576-3432.
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For more information:
Thom Berry – (803) 898-3885
E-mail – berrytw@dhec.sc.gov
BNR1831