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Downe will fight nerve agent

Thursday, July 20, 2006

By JEAN JONES

Staff Writer

DOWNE TWP. -- The township committee passed a resolution Wednesday opposing the discharge by DuPont of effluent from treating VX nerve agent into the Delaware River and bay.

The resolution says that the "public health, safety and environmental impacts associated with the storage, treatment, transport and disposal of VX hydrolysate are not known and cites the environmental sensitivity of Downe Township."

Brenda Donohue, of Money Island, said she had collected the signatures of 300 residents of the township's beach communities who oppose the dumping of VX .

"People are saddened that they were totally unaware that people from DuPont and the United States government were here that night," she said. "People here tonight would have had the chance to talk to them."

Donohue said the signatures would be presented to Congressman Frank LoBiondo "so he would understand how important it was that that stuff not be dumped into our bay."

Committeeman Steve Fleetwood said that at a Shellfisheries council meeting, he had asked that the council be kept informed of the status of the permitting process.

The VX cannot be processed and discharged by DuPont until it has a permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection for its disposal, he said.

"There would have to be a public hearing and everybody would have a chance to address it," he said.

Committeewoman Christine Wilford said she had spoken with Jeff Lindblad, public affairs specialist for the Army Corps of Engineers, at a prior presentation and he might be able to set up meetings for those who had missed earlier presentations.

One resident said he previously worked for DuPont when it was processing mustard gas residue and there had been an accident where three people required medical treatment because the truck delivering the material from Aberdeen, Md., did not properly unload.

"Don't believe anything on the paper they give you," he said, referring to informational handouts at prior meetings.

Wilford said she had attended a presentation at Port Norris before the local presentation and had asked whether transporting trucks were followed by Hazmat vehicles and whether communities through which they were passing were notified .

"The whole meeting, I felt, was to humor us," she said. "DuPont is in this to make money and that's the bottom line."

Donohue said she had seen numerous signs in Maine when a region was opposing windmills and suggested signs opposing VX could be posted.

Committeewoman Lisa Garrison said that worked when Dividing Creek lost its post office."Save 08315" signs were prominently posted and now a new post office is to be built there.

"We would have to band together and work on it," she said.

Committeeman Chester Riland said if the group could get a 3- by 5-foot sign painted, they could put it on a property he owns at a well-traveled intersection.

Others offered their properties for signs.

Wilford also offered the property on which her custard stand is located, as well as her home.

It was suggested that the project might be taken up by other communities where the discharge is opposed.