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ECONOMIC, LEGAL, AND PRACTICAL PROBLEMS IN HAZARDOUS WASTE 173 CLEANUP AND MANAGEMENT original typesetting files. Page breaks are true to the original; line lengths, word breaks, heading styles, and other typesetting-specific formatting, however, cannot be About this PDF file: This new digital representation of the original work has been recomposed from XML files created from the original paper book, not from the retained, and some typographic errors may have been accidentally inserted. Please use the print version of this publication as the authoritative version for attribution. The distrust and resentment of outside government was increased by the knowledge that the EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice had known about the illegal PCB storage operation for three years but let the wastes pile up in the hope of collecting evidence against the company responsible. They were unsuccessful, and in 1984 the president of American Electric Company was found not guilty in a U.S. Department of Justice indictment with 27 criminal counts of illegal handling of PCBs. Understandably, Baldwin residents want the PCBs removed. But because EPA's proposal for so-called immediate removal by incineration was rejected, it may take two years before cleanup can begin. EPA has begun its remedial study, and it is possible that onsite incineration may be recommended again. At a cost of $1.5 million, incineration is more cost-effective than trucking the waste to an out-of-state landfill at a cost of $6 million. EPA maintained that incineration was safe and the state agreed, but Baldwin residents maintain that they will fight incineration again if it is recommended. We learned a sad lesson at Baldwin: The public's distrust of government has real foundations, and we must work hard to earn the public's trust and belief in us before we will have any real success. Whitehouse Oil Pits Another example of the importance of cost-effectiveness in cleanup involves the Whitehouse Oil Pits, near Jacksonville. Waste petroleum products were dumped for 10 years into seven unlined pits at a site near a now-defunct waste oil refining company. The city of Jacksonville made numerous attempts to control pollution from the site by reinforcing the pit dikes and dewatering the pits. But heavy rains caused the dikes to collapse. Further cleanup efforts by the EPA, the state, and the city significantly reduced hazards at the site and ensured that no further large-scale spills would occur. Steady erosion of the dike walls allowed pollutants to seep slowly into surface water, but this problem was resolved in 1983 through EPNs use of Superfund monies to stabilize the site. The $425,000 in Superfund money was also used for a remedial investigation. It showed groundwater contamination near the site. No private drinking water wellsâthe closest is 200 feet downhill from the siteâwere shown to be contaminated. It was evident that long-term cleanup was necessary to contain the spread of contamination from the site. All possible options were considered, and we decided to try one of the less-expensive ones. Underground clay walls will be constructed around the contaminated area, and a clay cap will be placed on top. Pumps will extract contaminated groundwater, which will be treated and released into a nearby creek. The flushing process could take as long as
