Chillicothe's Pixelle paper mill, which is set to close in August, has a secondary function: it helps contain a toxic plume of cancer-causing chemicals underground that were spilled by a former cookware manufacturer decades ago.
Ohio EPA records from 2022 indicated that if the paper plant closed, it would be a "worst case scenario." Chillicothe and state officials say there's no immediate threat to residents from the contaminants and efforts are being made to improve monitoring.
A toxic underground plume of soil and groundwater has tested positive for extremely high levels of trichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride for decades. The last report from the Ohio EPA released this month showed TCE levels at 15 times the "maximum contaminant level" for TCE and 100 times for the max for vinyl chloride.
NBC4/WCMH first reported on the situation Wednesday.
The Ohio EPA has been monitoring the well for decades since before the nearby WearEver alumninum cookware manufacturing plant closed in the 1990s. Pixelle, alongside WearEver's current owner, HowMet Aerospace, have worked together to operate wells that contain the contaminants.
Specifically, these wells would be used by Pixelle to draw water for use in the plant. That usage prevented the toxic plume from migrating and contaminating land and groundwater in farmland, residences, groundwater and the Scioto River.
Pixelle is set to close Aug. 10 as owner HIG Capital searches for new buyers. As Pixelle plans to leave, the Ohio EPA is left to deal with the aftermath of this site that Pixelle helped to contain.
Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeney said he's most worried about how this will impact residents if the chemicals start to migrate over time. He said the risk isn't immediate, but it is top of mind for him.
"This isn't really like a drinking water risk we're talking about. It's just sort of like, could something creep up out of the soil into their backyard vegetable garden," Feeney said.
Feeney explained that the town's water source is more than two miles away from this site and the homes within city limits get their water from there. He said the Ohio EPA has made clear there is no risk to those water sources.
Feeney said he is being asked about the water seeping through pipes or impacting the wastewater treatment plant nearby. He said the reality is that if it does get to the treatment plant, it would be a good thing, because the chemicals would be treated.
Feeney said he is not aware of any nearby residences that draw water from an underground private well, which he said would be a "concern."
"None of this is good news. Any aspect of this story is not necessarily positive. The positive takeaway, though, is that it is not a surprise to anybody on the EPA side," Feeney said.
The Ohio EPA told WOSU Friday in a statement that Pixelle must complete a formal process requiring the company to secure the property and lawfully remove all regulated substances and contaminated equipment. The agency said if Pixelle stops operating the wells that contain the plume, the hydraulic gradient of the surrounding aquifer might be altered.
Howmet, which operates the WearEver facility, is required to collaborate with Ohio EPA to evaluate the proposed changes and assess any associated human health and environmental risks, including the potential for previously uncontaminated groundwater to become impacted.
The Ohio EPA has requested that Howmet install additional groundwater monitoring wells and it has 30 days to respond. Howmet is responsible for proposing a revised remedial approach, which ensures continued protection of human health and the environment.
"Ohio EPA continues to work with the responsible party to have it perform the appropriate work to the wells," the statement said.
This plume was first documented in the 1980s. It is one of hundreds, if not thousands, of such sites leftover from before state and national environmental protection regulations started to curb pollution and chemical dumping practices that led to these issues.
Ohio State University professor Linda Weavers, co-director of the Ohio Water Resources Center, said there are many sites like these throughout the United States and it's hard to clean them up. She said the Ohio EPA works to monitor the chemicals so they don't impact residents.
"Any movement of these chemicals is gonna be pretty slow. So it'll give Ohio EPA and the current owners time to do any sort of remediation, no matter what sort of scenario gets worked out with Ohio EPA, Pixelle and the owners of the former WearEver site," Weavers said.
Weavers explained that Pixelle benefitted from the well while providing the added benefit of containing the contaminants. The paper plant uses 1 billion gallons of water each year, Weavers explained.
Weavers also said the plume is very localized about 28 feet underground at the southeast side of the city east of the Pixelle plant and west of U.S. 23 and the Scioto River.
She said these wells were constantly decreasing the groundwater levels and kept the plume from rising to the surface or spreading.
Weavers said it takes a lot of time to try and clean up a site like this completely in a quick manner. She pointed to past documents that estimated it would take over 100 years to completely clean it up, costing a lot of money.
Instead, she said remediation efforts for sites like this is primarily monitoring the site and making sure the chemicals don't migrate and hurt the environment or nearby communities.
"There's biological microorganisms that are underneath the ground that slowly will break down these chemicals, but it's very slow for that to happen. So, you know, that becomes sort of the state of remediation," Weavers said.
Feeney said if monitoring efforts ever detected unsafe levels of chemicals from this plume or other sources, Chillicothe residents would be alerted.
Feeney said the community should feel confident that authorities have the situation under control given the city and Ohio EPA's history of monitoring the plume.
"That work is being done today. That work has been done years ago. And that gives me reassurance. And I think that that's what I would convey to the community," Feeney said.
Feeney said the city is not involved in negotiations over the sale of the Pixelle plant, but he's heard there are potential buyers.
"We do have good indication that it is an active scenario and...we get the sense that multiple offers for purchase were submitted to (HIG Capital)," Feeney said.
