General Manager

sfoster@pickenssentinel.com

PICKENS - Cleanup at the old Sangamo plant site in Pickens has been going on for more than 20 years, but PCB-contaminated capacitors continue to pop up.

Last week, workers found capacitors in two areas on the site, and some of the capacitors contained the carcinogen polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, according to environmental experts.

Joe Ferguson, who heads up the cleanup project for Schlumberger, said the company's security person Jodie Hayes noticed some surfaced capacitor material last week, which prompted the latest housekeeping effort.

Along with the larger PCB-laden capacitors, workers also uncovered a number of the smaller electrolytic capacitors, according to Craig Zeller, project engineer for the Environmental Protection Agency.

The cleanup is part of a commitment made in the project's five-year review to periodically look for debris, especially following heavy rains, Zeller said.

During the search, workers found a number of capacitors in a cinder block pit last Wednesday.

"It was about 10 feet deep and full of capacitors," Zeller said. "The majority of them were electrolytic, with no PCBs."

Along with removing the capacitors, workers with RMT are also excavating the two areas to remove contaminated dirt.

Contaminated capacitors and dirt are being hauled to a special landfill in Emille, Ala., according to Zeller, and safe debris and dirt is being taken to a regular landfill.

Some of the dirt had PCB levels of more than 50 parts per million, he said.

Zeller said he considered finding the capacitors good news - because they were able to get the areas cleaned up.

"We're certainly frustrated but glad we found them," he said. "I don't think this is a long-term source of our groundwater problem."

Ferguson also noted that finding capacitors from time to time was "the nature of the beast."

So far millions have been spent on the cleanup effort, according to Ferguson, who said he hopes finds like the one last Wednesday will start to come less frequently.

Both he and Zeller said proper precautions are being taken during the removal process to ensure public safety.

"I told the crews to be very careful to minimize nuisance dust," Ferguson said. "We're taking a common-sense approach to this."

There's no danger from dust flying during the cleanup, as long as it is done responsibly, Zeller said.

He also said they were unsure at this time what the block pit was originally used for, noting a farm was on the land before the plant was built.