Underground fire ends, cleanup begins

Battery casings smolder underground at the Richlands site.

The cleanup of an old dump site in Richlands is under way after tires and lead battery casings smoldered underground for nearly two weeks in January. The landowner started a fire on Jan. 16 to remove brush from a hillside. The fire eventually spread to the mostly buried battery casings and tires.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency worked with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the Department of Environmental Quality to address the incident, which was reported to VDEM on Jan. 22. Smoke from the fire contained elevated levels of potentially hazardous gases, such as sulfur dioxide, hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide. The fire did not pose an immediate risk to the surrounding neighborhood, so no evacuation of the area was necessary. Local fire departments and a contractor extinguished the fire on Jan. 26. More information, including video of the fire, is available on the EPA website.

Christine Smith, Environmental Education, Southwest Regional Office

Energy Star pledge goals reached

More than 300 DEQ employees participated in EPA's Energy Star Change a Light, Change the World campaign, which promotes the use of energy-efficient light bulbs and fixtures. By passing the 300 mark, DEQ met its pledge goals for the campaign in its first year of participation.

DEQ employees pledged to replace more than 1,400 light bulbs in their homes with efficient alternatives, such as compact fluorescent bulbs. The use of Energy Star-qualified bulbs and fixtures can save money on energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Tony Gambone, Public Affairs, Central Office

DEQ, EPA work on adding landfill to priorities list

The Hidden Lane Landfill in Sterling is visible (hill in the background) from a neighboring property.

DEQ is working with EPA to propose adding the Hidden Lane Landfill to the National Priorities List. The landfill is the probable source of ground water contamination in the Broad Run Farms neighborhood of Sterling.

EPA adds sites that pose an immediate threat to human health and the environment on the National Priorities List to help facilitate cleanup activities. Trichloroethylene or TCE was detected in 2004 in ground water beneath the neighborhood, which borders the landfill, with concentrations above EPA’s maximum contaminant level. There has been significant progress to address the short-term exposure of TCE in drinking water wells, including installation and maintenance of carbon filtration units at 20 homes by DEQ, continued monitoring for TCE at three residences with a high risk of becoming contaminated, and the creation of a stakeholder workgroup. However, a comprehensive, long-term plan is necessary.

Although the listing process is technically based, it also has opportunities for involvement by the community, the local government and the state during the cleanup.

Richard Doucette, Waste Program, Northern Virginia Regional Office

Virginia launches Coastal GEMS online mapping system

The Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program will launch the Coastal Geospatial and Educational Mapping System or Coastal GEMS at the Virginia General Assembly on Feb. 14 at 11 a.m. Speakers will include DEQ Director Dave Paylor and representatives from the coastal program, the Secretary of Natural Resources’ office and the Virginia Geographic Information Network.

Coastal GEMS is the first Internet gateway to Virginia’s coastal resources. It includes 30 Geographic Information System data layers showing water, shoreline, land and recreational features; wildlife resources; and conservation planning tools. A major goal of Coastal GEMS is to foster a stronger understanding of how activities on the land and in the water affect each other. The website will be beneficial to local and regional planning agencies, state and federal agencies, academic institutions and the public.

The program will also host an exhibit on Coastal GEMS in the lobby of the General Assembly Building Feb. 12 - 16. Coastal GEMS is an evolving tool. Please visit the site and provide your suggestions to Kelly Price.

Virginia Witmer, Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, Central Office

Construction project managers plead guilty

Two Washington state men plead guilty in February to depositing a pollutant in a navigable water of the United States. Loch Lawrence Louman, age 47, and Rick Callahan, age 43, admitted that they were responsible for the discharge of concrete slurry into the J.H. Kerr Reservoir in Mecklenburg County. The incident occurred in August 2001 during the expansion of Route 58 and the construction of a new bridge across the reservoir. AMEC Civil, the employer of the men, has paid $350,000 in a pre-plea agreement with $250,000 given to the Southern Environmental Enforcement Network to support environmental enforcement training.

DEQ, EPA, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (of the Office of Inspector General, Department of Defense) investigated the case. U.S. attorneys and the EPA Regional Criminal Enforcement Council are prosecuting the case.

Julia Wellman, Public Affairs, Central Office

Google-powered search engine gets results

A powerful new system replaced the search engine for DEQ's website in January. Search results are now delivered by a Google Mini – a dedicated server with a built-in Google search engine.

Citizens searching the DEQ website can expect to see more precise and relevant search results. The Google Mini offers improved analysis and reporting of searches that will help DEQ improve the organization and contents of its website.

Tony Gambone, Public Affairs, Central Office

South Central presents to grounds maintenance conference

Kelly Wills and Amanda Gray from the DEQ South Central Regional Office presented on the environmental effects of pesticide use at the Southside Grounds Maintenance Conference on Jan. 24 in Danville. More than 100 participants attended the conference to be re-certified as commercial pesticide applicators. The presentation provided information on the fate and transport of pesticides, and the effects they can have on drinking water and aquatic life. Kelly Wills, regional biologist, provided information on recent studies of intersex fish and the linkage to some pesticides. Amanda Gray, water planner, presented information on DEQ fish tissue and sediment sampling techniques, and impaired waters affected by pesticides. 

Amanda Gray, Water Compliance and Assessment Program, South Central Regional Office

Removing mercury switches

Removing mercury from demolished vehicles and ultimately keeping it out of the environment is the goal of DEQ’s Mercury Switch Program.

“It is a low-cost effort for steel recyclers and auto demolishers with great benefits for the environment,” Steve Frazier, program coordinator, said. “It is a source reduction effort to remove a potential contaminant prior to recycling.”

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Julia Wellman, Public Affairs, Central Office