Canfield leaders plan town hall to address 'historic' chemical release
Canfield resident Brad Kinkade has been following the cleanup of a chemical release at Materials Sciences Corporation since it happened in July.
MSC and cleanup company August Mack have since captured and contained the brown liquid discovered nearby.
But in the meantime, the footprint of the cleanup and testing of soil and water has expanded and escalated.
And according to MSC spokesman Dan Williamson, it still is.
"When I talked to him last, he referenced this spill as a 'historic contamination'", said Kinkade during Wednesday night's city council meeting.
A 3000-page report released last week by the Ohio EPA and August Mack shows testing procedures and sample results.
They reveal "chemicals of concern" including cyanide and other carcinogens four to six feet underground and beyond Sawmill Creek.
That includes the high school.
"We are in the process of contacting an outside firm to come in and help us do testing or whatever is necessary at the school level," said Canfield school board vice president Traci DeCapua.
While MSC says it will soon be contacting residents for access to install new containment fencing, city attorney Mark Fortunato said Wednesday that "the EPA will be issuing a corrective action order which is a very thorough cleanup order. It's a very onerous process and it's subject to the full weight of their statutory authority."
And in the meantime, city leaders are stepping up their response.
"Maybe a town hall meeting, if we can get representatives from the EPA, MSC and August Mack, as well as their counsel," said city manager David D'Apolito, to which council president Christine Oliver replied "I would really like that too because if it can still continue to contaminate our city, then I personally, and I'm sure everyone else would agree, that they should have to cease what they're doing to cause it."
All those parties have agreed to participate, though no date has been set. City leaders tell 21 News they're still unclear as to what's in their legal authority to do, but will be looking into that further through their city attorney.
Ohio EPA spokeswoman Katie Boyer told 21 News in a statement "Ohio EPA continues to work closely with MSC to address the issues at the site. The facility is currently constructing a liner to divert storm water and has implemented a system to capture and contain contaminated water from the ditch area. We are reviewing the report to determine further investigative and remedial actions needed for the site.
To keep the public safe, interim measures are being taken to prevent direct contact with impacted areas around Sawmill Creek, which were identified in the report, including installing a fence. Storm water diversion measures are in place to keep clean water out of the affected area. Our priority is ensuring the facility cleans up all contamination identified during the investigation."