By Herald Staff / 03.22.1006

Talking, Spilling VX

LEESBURG - Residents of Maurice River Township listened to representatives of the U.S. Army and DuPont March 16 tout the safety of dumping millions of gallons of treated VX nerve agent in the Delaware River.

The dumping location in Deepwater is 30 miles upstream from oyster beds. A DuPont spokesman said the VX waste product can be treated and transported safely.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency dropped its opposition to the plan to transporting the treated VX from Newport, Ind, in trucks to New Jersey.

Maurice River Mayor Ron Riggins said not one resident at the meeting had a positive comment about the plan.

Meanwhile, 300 gallons of VX wastewater was spilled at the Newport processing facility March 14. No injuries were reported. This was the fourth spill in a year.