Source: http://www.godanriver.com, December 15, 2016
By: Graham Moomaw
Virginia and federal officials have reached a $50 million environmental damages settlement with DuPont chemical company, the largest agreement of its kind in state history, over the decades-old mercury contamination of the Shenandoah River system.
The settlement, announced Thursday at a news conference in Richmond, includes a $42 million cash payment, made in two installments within the next year, that state and federal officials will use for restoration projects in the watershed over a decade or more. Another $8 million will be used for improvements to the state-owned Front Royal Regional Fish Hatchery to boost smallmouth bass production.
Mercury released from 1929 to 1950 at a DuPont synthetic fiber production plant in Waynesboro was found in the river in the 1970s, leading to years of corrective measures, monitoring and warnings about potentially unsafe, mercury-tainted fish. More than 100 miles of river were affected by the toxic metal, officials said, but the levels have not decreased over time. In concentrated forms, mercury can pose health hazards to both wildlife and humans.
The proposed deal needs final approval from a federal court in Harrisonburg.
Officials touted the settlement, the eighth-largest nationally on a list topped by payments for the Deepwater Horizon and Exxon Valdez oil spills, as a victory for the state and thanked DuPont for its willingness to rectify past mistakes.
“In bringing this settlement to a close, we are finally righting a wrong that has impacted the South River and the South Fork Shenandoah River for so many decades,” said Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring, whose office helped bring about the resolution, stressed the importance of natural resources to the state’s economy and quality of life.
“We have a responsibility to protect those assets for our children, our grandchildren and future generations,” Herring said. “And this historic settlement shows our commitment to take that responsibility very seriously.”
The specific projects, which would focus on habitat restoration, land protection and recreational access, will be subject to a 45-day public review period. The U.S. Department of the Interior and state will serve as joint trustees over the funds.
Some in Waynesboro have raised concerns that the locals most impacted by the contamination have had little say over how to use the settlement money. Federal officials said they’re planning to hold a public meeting in Waynesboro on Jan. 10.
“Every dollar is going to be used to clean up the land, the source issues and the water, to where it would have been but for the event,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environmental and Natural Resources Division.
DuPont did not have a representative speak at the news conference, but the company released a statement highlighting the efforts it has already made to fund studies and provide other resources to the impacted area.
“In keeping with its long history of cooperation with, and participation in, government initiatives, and its ongoing support of the local community, DuPont’s is committed to a long-term presence in the Waynesboro area and to maintaining transparency with its citizens,” said Mike Liberati, the South River project director for the DuPont Corporate Remediation Group.