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Local News

Saturday, July 31, 2010

EPA plans soil removal on Ottawa properties
Ewald Furniture - Tiffin
By LOU WILIN

STAFF WRITER

OTTAWA -- Lead-contaminated soil will be removed from at least three residential Ottawa properties in August and September, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official said Friday.

Lead at 235 Blanchard St., 440 E. Second St. and another location comes from waste hauled from the former L.G. Philips plant decades ago, said Lori Muller, on-scene coordinator for the U.S. EPA, Westlake. She declined to disclose the third location because the owner has not been contacted yet.

The contaminated soil is no deeper than one foot and covers only part of the property at all three sites, Muller said. The removed soil will be replaced, she said.

Soil at three other Ottawa sites is being tested to see if it also should be removed. Test results should be completed in a few weeks, Muller said.

Soil contamination in those locations is deeper, at two to four feet below the surface, so people would not be exposed to lead at the surface. Environmental officials are testing the soil to see whether the lead could drain through it via water to neighboring sites.

Waste at the sites includes glass shards and whole tubes from the former television picture tube manufacturing plant.

Lead exposure is particularly harmful for children younger than 6 years old, because it can reduce IQs and cause learning disabilities and behavior problems. Pregnant women can transfer lead to their babies.

Lead also can hurt adults, causing reproductive problems, high blood pressure, nerve disorders, and memory and concentration difficulties.

The factory waste probably was dumped at the sites before the mid-1970s and early 1980s, when environmental rules against it were implemented, Mick Hans, press team specialist for the U.S. EPA in Chicago, has said. The Philips plant closed in 2002 when operations were transferred to Mexico.

Environmental agency officials said the property owners may not have viewed the disposal of the material as dumping. They may have welcomed the material from the factory as fill for low-lying areas, officials said.

The waste was discovered at the East Second Street lot in 2008 when the homeowner sought to rebuild at the site after the house was damaged by flooding.

Excavators found glass shards and tubes in the soil. The Ohio EPA found hazardous lead levels in the soil, then referred the matter to the U.S. EPA in November 2008 when it was discovered other properties could be contaminated.

Wilin: 419-427-8413, Send an e-mail to Lou Wilin


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1 Comment

bws wrote:
What to do
“ The old tubes, if memory serves correctly, contained not only lead but phosphors and other nasty things. The only way to really clean up the mess would be to dig the whole thing up and dispose of it properly, which Im guessing they wont. What I find so sad is that the areas on Second Street are right next to the Blanchard, so who knows how many hundreds or thousands of pounds of lead and other chemicals have leached into the water table and river, over the years? Per capita, I think this is an environmental disaster right up there with the Gulf as how many downstream communities rely on the Blanchard and other tributaries, before dumped into the Maumee river, for their water supplies? ”
Saturday, July 31, 2010 3:52:15 PM
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Benton Ridge Shooting

This video, released by the Hancock County Prosecutor's Office, shows the shooting of a Lima man who led authorities on a three-county chase ending Aug.24 in Benton Ridge. Be cautioned, the video contains graphic content.
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Lauger's Carpet One
News Briefs Firefighters discover 20 marijuana plants in house
After fighting a house fire early Monday at 815 Howard St., firefighters found 20 marijuana plants in the residence.

"They ran across it and called us," said police Sgt. Justin Hendren with the Hancock County METRICH Drug Enforcement Unit.

Police seized all 20 plants, and Hendren said charges are pending.

High-powered growing lights, fans, and a box filled with dried marijuana were also found in the house, according to a police report.

Investigators said an electrical short started the fire before 3 a.m. Monday.

The blaze caused an estimated $12,000 in damage to the residence, owned by Amanda Crawford. No one was injured, according to the Findlay Fire Department.

Carey announces holiday closing
CAREY -- Carey offices, including administrative, income tax and utilities, electric, wastewater treatment plant, and public works, will be closed Monday in observance of Labor Day.

The curbside recycling program will be held Tuesday through Thursday, Sept. 7-9.

Findlay trooper named sergeant
Trooper Jacob L. Fletcher, assigned to the Findlay post of the State Highway Patrol, was promoted to sergeant Wednesday by Patrol Superintendent Col. David Dicken.

With the promotion, Fletcher will stay at the Findlay post and serve as an assistant post commander, according to the patrol.

Fletcher began his patrol career in 2002 after graduating from the 139th Academy class and has been assigned to the Findlay post since.

Owens announces holiday schedule
The Toledo and Findlay campuses of Owens Community College will be closed Saturday through Monday for the Labor Day holiday.

There will be no classes and the college offices will be closed.

Classes will resume and offices will open again on Tuesday.

Holiday changes ad deadlines
The Courier won't be published on Monday, in observance of the Labor Day holiday.

Because of the holiday, some advertising deadlines have been moved up this week:

Black and white display advertising for Tuesday's newspaper must be placed by noon Friday. Display advertising for Wednesday's newspaper must be placed by 2:30 p.m. Friday.

Color display advertising for the Thursday, Sept. 9 newspaper must be placed by Friday.

Classified advertising and City and Country advertising for Saturday's newspaper must be placed by 2 p.m. Friday. Classified ads for Tuesday's newspaper must be placed by 2:30 p.m. Friday.

Courier business and advertising offices will close at 3 p.m. Friday for the holiday.