Restoration

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Pine River Restoration

The Pine River Task Force began operation at the end of 1997 to provide community feedback to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the second clean up at the Velsicol Chemical Site in St. Louis. From its first meeting, however, the members of the Task Force decided to focus on full restoration and protection of the watershed, not merely on containing the contamination at the Velsicol site. While continuing to monitor the clean up of DDT in the Pine River by the old plant site, the Task Force became involved in the EPA litigation against Total Petroleum for air and water violations at its Alma Refinery. Before Total announced withdrawal from the U.S. to pursue investments in Iran (banned under the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act), the Task Force sought to preserve refinery jobs by allowing the company to convert fines into a Supplemental Environmental Project, the cleaning of the worst sediments contaminated by the refinery.

The Task Force also has pursued concerns with contamination at the other two superfund sites and a radioactive waste dump near St. Louis and at related sites impacted by the petro-chemical industry. In addition to monitoring EPA and other federal and state clean-up efforts in the watershed, the Task Force has aggressively pursued making the responsible parties, not the general treasury, pay for clean-ups. We participated in various ways in the litigation against Total and subsequent refinery owners and Fruit of the Loom, the ultimate property owner for the Velsicol sites. The Task Force goal is to have full remediation of all sites in the watershed sufficient that lands can be returned to use and not serve as burial sites for contamination. Specifically, the Task Force does not support short-run treatment of contaminants, requiring maintenance of elaborate treatment processes. The contamination from a generation of carelessness must be made harmless so that future generations need not worry about the legacy of the mid-twentieth century.

All are welcomed to work with the Task Force and help us achieve restoration of our watershed and future sustainability. Please contact us at (989)463-7203 if you wish to work with us or need information.