The bottomliner appears to be leaking.

Howe's Leak

Is there any analytical on those yellow tinted ponds?
Looks like could be chrome.

Exactly! And more specifically Chromium VI--a known carcinogen! DEP doesn't test for VI. We know chromium was used at Howe's. And we have have ample reason to believe that much is buried in other parts of the property but DEP won't test for it!

It flows into the Greenbrier River!

What effect might chromium (VI) compounds have on my health?

Speciation
Compounds of two species of chromium are on the NPI reporting list, chromium (VI) and chromium (III). The health effects of chromium (VI) compounds will be quite different from that of chromium (III) compounds.

Very small quantities of chromium (III) compounds are essential for your health and well-being. Chromium VI compounds are usually highly toxic. Breathing in chromium (VI) compounds can damage and irritate your nose, throat, lungs, stomach and intestines. It may lead to asthma and other allergic reactions. Exposure to chromium (VI) can cause stomach upsets, ulcers, convulsions, kidney and liver damage. Long-term exposure to airborne chromium (VI) can have adverse effects on the respiratory and the immune systems and can cause cancer. Skin contact with liquids and solids may lead to skin ulcers, redness and swelling. A US expert panel investigated chromium-contaminated soils in a residential area and concluded that soil concentrations of 2,800mg/kg (i.e. 2.8 g/kg) chromium (III) and 180 mg/kg (i.e. 0.18 g/kg) chromium (VI) do not pose a health hazard following acute or chronic exposure for residents living on or near the contaminated sites. These findings and recent reports of Health-Based Soil Action Levels and case studies involving human exposure to chromium (VI) in soil and ground water put the relative toxicity of chromium (III) and chromium (VI) into perspective. Chromium (VI) is more toxic than chromium (III) but low levels can be tolerated. The human studies showed that the gastrointestinal tract can reduce ingested chromium (VI) to chromium (III) at concentrations up to 10 mg chromium (VI)/L and soil concentrations of 1240 ppm chromium (VI) do not result in allergic contact dermatitis in 99.9% of the general population.

Background
During the manufacturing process of a vast array of leather goods Chromium salts are used. Mineral tanning usually uses Chromium (III) salts to crosslink to structures of the collagen of the skins. During the manufacturing process, the generation of Chromium (VI) can occur from adverse environmental conditions or when inappropriate process controls are in place. This generation of Chromium (VI) is influenced by many criteria, for example:

> Content of Chromium (VI) in the raw material and chemicals used.
> pH-value, high pH-values benefit the synthesis of Chromium (VI) (raw material and supplies, like glue).
> Temperature, missing control may create non-uniform products.

> Overspill of tanning Chromium (III) salts. High concentrations of “free” Chromium (III) can be oxidised to

Chromium (VI).
> Low (air) humidity benefits the synthesis of Chromium (VI).

Chromium (VI) salts are classified as carcinogenic and can cause allergies. The most commonly known allergy is cement dermatitis which is caused by Chromium (VI)-compounds.

We have just sent a FOIA for information as to why DEP is determined to force the county to install an expensive cover for the pollution!

Maybe someone can get Walt Helmick to explain it?

Why didnt the entire Howes plant operate inside a huge airtight bubble?
The plant was there for close to 90 years and "Chrome" was used there by the employees the whole time!
So whats the big deal with it now?
Instead of "kicking a dead horse", Why not try to contact some of the employees that worked there, pay for them to see doctors, and find out if the "Chrome has had any effect on them.
Then, you could try to find some comensation for them through some political loophole or something.
That might make your so called "Howes Mess" worthwhile.

I agree with you that they should be compensated for the exposure to pollutants . I don't have any money but Walt Helmick is the head of the WV finance committee. He should have tried to help them financially due to their exposure to cancer causing agents.

Hummmmm maybe that the reason I have Asthma Never had it as a kid ,come to think about it never had it till I came to Texas after working at Howe's And I used to mixed the chemical for the big tanning vats ,And unload the chemicals off the trucks...Well I guess I did a little bit of every thing when I worked there.

It sounds like we need Erin Brockovich to come here to investigate. That would put our minds at ease.

Since you're interested in this topic, you may want to learn more about all over America. I thought it was really interesting. People all over America have done so many things. It was on the History Channel and it was called "The Crumbling of America." The website for it is http://www.history.com/shows.do?episodeId=452430&action=detail

Basically, it was about:
America's infrastructure is collapsing. Tens of thousands of bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. A third of the nation's highways are in poor or mediocre shape. Massively leaking water and sewage systems are creating health hazards and contaminating rivers and streams. Weakened and under-maintained levees and dams tower over communities and schools. And the power grid is increasingly maxed out, disrupting millions of lives and putting entire cities in the dark. The Crumbling of America explores these problems using expert interviews, on location shooting and computer generated animation to illustrate the kinds of infrastructure disasters that could be just around the bend.

Dear Mr. Alderman:



This letter is to acknowledge that the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Public Information Office received your Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA) on July 14, 2009. You will be notified as to when you may review/copy/receive the requested information.



Information in agency files is available for public inspection. However, some material may be exempt from disclosure under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act, Chapter 29B.



DEP also provides an informational service to the public. Visitors to the agency’s Web-site can subscribe to both a listing of permit actions open to public comment and updates on DEP news and events. To subscribe to these e-mail notifications, go to http://www.wvdep.org. Please submit all FOIA’s to patricia.j.white@wv.gov.



There is no charge to submit a FOIA request. However, there are charges associated with researching and/or copying the requested information. If you need further assistance, please feel free to contact me or Trish White at (304) 926-0499, ext. 1283.



Sincerely,







Kathy Cosco

Communications Director



Annette Bennett

WV DEP - Public Information Office

601 57th Street SE

Charleston, WV 25304

Phone: (304) 926-0499 ext 1659

Annette.L.Bennett@wv.gov

We just got word from DEP that the Howe's Project is not a Reclamation project but an Enforcement Project. This is a far different show than we previously thought. It sounds like the county is on the verge of a heavy fine if they don't cover that site like they are supposed to!!!

Wonder what Reta has to say about this?

Or what does Helmick have to say!

We could be in for a major fine if DEP gets wind of the current leak at Howe's! Stay tuned!

Annette,

Ken says this is not ours. It is Mike Zeto’s. It is not a Reclamation Project but Enforcement site.

Sounds like the poo poo has hit the proverbial fan!

The irony is that this is Hinton's water supply! Maybe they don't mind have 6 fingers, 6 toes, or babies heads the size of bushel baskets!

Barry Getto made a slick move selling the mess to Walt Helmick...dawg...

To EASYRIDER:
I know the field you are talking about at Howes Leather. Correct me if I'm wrong, Where the field is now use to be open liquid lagoons, right? (Well, I know I'm right on that part because I use to drive the tanker truck to them to empty the "Liqour" in them). The lagoons were right beside the Greenbrier river. Wouldnt it have been alot easier for the lagoons to leak in the river all those years the plant was in operation, rather than leak now with dryed, compacted sludge in them now?
The hay has not been removed from the field yet, but it will be, and it will be fed to livestock.....and I havent seen any mutant livestock around the area.......has anyone else?
Anyway, with the Snowshoe debocal, the county landfill, and the Howes site, the Governor might consider changing Pocahontas Countys motto from "Birthplace of Rivers" to, "West Virginias dump site"!

Sorry, I almost forgot!
There are alot of farms/land in the upper end of the county that used to ask for Howes to dump the dried, compacted sludge on thier ground. Can it be now, that most of the upper end Pocahontas County may be condemned because of this?

To BackMtn.Dew: The lined lagoon that the sludge was placed into was the last lagoon built by Howes, in 1991. It was lined with a 40 mil. polyurethane sheeting liner with welded seams. If you remember, this was built to hold the treated effluent that could not be discharged into the river, which flow into the river was dictated by the amount of water flow in the river on any given day. Howes generated around 200,000 gallons of effluent (production water, mostly from the Beamhouse)every day of production. The treatment was done seven days a week, and if the river flow would not allow at least 200,000 gallons per day on average, the excess of this treated water was pumped up into this "fresh water" lagoon and held until the river flow allowed its discharge. This lined lagoon never contained anything except treated water. When it was decided to remove the sludge from the regular lagoons, it was a slow process of air drying the lime sludge, hauling, dumping and compacting it into the lined cell. Before this was started, the DEP insisted that a 60 Mil. liner be placed over the existing 40 mil. This was done, so there is a total of 100 mil in welded seam liners under the dried sludge. These two liners together are almost a quarter of an inch thick! Hope this will help explain the background of this project.

Why is the water brown?

Easyrider,

I'm more familiar than you might think, I was a Foreman there, I know what chemicals are involved.

I also remember "spills" taking place during high water...dawg...

PS, I also know what was land applied, buried, etc. and never contained in a lagoon...

The clean up effort on the old Howe's Property, though applaudable, is like putting Lipstick on a Pig...dawg...

Analysis of the monitoring wells on the property should tell the story.

Arsenic, Cyanide, Cyanate, Salinity, Chromium, Phenol, PH, Tannin, etc...dawg...

Norman,

There are old monitoring wells in place and a map developed that displayed the radiation of pollutants...dawg...

Norman,

Don't forget.

The old site in Marlinton is still LEACHATING...dawg...

And the Greenbrier is on a limited fish eating order.

Stinky,

I won't eat anything that comes out of the Greenbrier...dawg...

Can you say Superfund Site?