This week marked the beginning of two weeks of public hearings before the state Board of Environmental Protection over one of the most polluted waste sites in Maine. The former HoltraChem chemical plant in Orrington sits on the banks of the Penobscot River and once produced chlorine, caustic soda and sulfuric acid used in papermaking. Buildings have been torn down but five landfills remain. They contain 360,000 tons of soil contaminated with mercury and other seriously hazardous substances.
"Perhaps not everyone in Orrington is on well water, but the residents on Ferry Road, and those near the plant site on the River Road have long been aware of the leaking toxic dump sites," said Patricia Judd, who has lived in Orrington with her family for 25 years.
Judd spoke at a public hearing in Orrington Thursday night. "We know firsthand that this stretch of the riverbank is in constant flux. That is why we are seeking the DEP and you, the BEP's, help in this cleanup process. Those sites have not been secure since their first use. They have no liners. What is to stop the toxins from leaching in the future? A lid will not do it. It is a quick fix for Mallinckrodt and money back into their already wealthy pockets."
The HoltraChem factory's former owner, Mallinckrodt LLC, is appealing a 2008 order from state environmental officials to clean up the site at an estimated cost of $200 million. The high levels of mercury, pesticides and carcinogens have been measured, but the state DEP says there's no clear research on health effects on local people and wildlife.
Mallinckrodt says the DEP's proposed cleanup plan is technically flawed, potentially risky and too expensive.
"Out of all the criteria for choosing the best option for the site, community acceptance is one that is very strong and one that's very important," said Mallinckrodt spokesperson JoAnna Schooler. "Landfill 1 is one that needs to be removed. There's no argument on that, there's full agreement that that landfill needs to be removed, as well as the materials and the manufacturing area. Also ongoing monitoring is something that would be required, and all of us agree on that."
But that's where the agreement ends. Mallinckrodt has proposed an alternative cleanup plan that would cost half as much as the plan the state has proposed. The company points out it has already spent $40 million cleaning the site.
"I've been to some of the meetings that was held showing what Mallinckrodt is planning to do and feel that any of those would be satisfactory to cleaning up what is necessary at this time," testified Bob Lobley, who has lived in Orrington for 76 years. "I would just like to see that the place is cleaned up so that we can utilize the land so businesses can come in to lower our taxes."
Another resident, Ed Campbell, is a retired HoltraChem employee. "I am very concerned about the plant and the town having it cleaned up. I am concerned about the tax revenue that we have been missing."
Stockton Springs resident Nancy Galland lives downriver from the site, and spoke about her concerns related to wildlife. "I have watched the wild duck and predator bird populations decrease in my area and I understand from reports from wildlife researchers that indeed loon and eagles' reproductive capacities are at risk due to mercury accumulations from the fish they eat."
About 100 people attended the hearing and dozens testified. There was some confusion over how long a cleanup will take. The DEP says its plan would take five years, but Mallinckrodt says that same plan would take 10 years.
In either case, the cleanup decision is up to the six-member Board of Environmental Protection. The hearings continue in Augusta.