Stephanie Stephens, YRK Intern
Yadkin Riverkeeper (YRK) recently attended an emotional panel discussion organized by the Concerned Citizens of West Badin and the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network at UNC-Chapel Hill on February 28th. The state of North Carolina has not held Alcoa accountable for the toxic waste left behind in West Badin, NC, and the progress towards cleanup remains at a standstill. YRK continues to support the state requiring excavation of contaminated soil in the areas of this community where Alcoa disposed of hazardous aluminum smelting waste in unlined landfills.
YRK is also concerned about elevated levels of cyanide. aluminum and fluoride continuing to runoff into Badin Lake and Little Mountain Creek through permitted discharges. Alcoa Badin Business Park, as the facility is currently known, has had more than 20 violations of its state-issued stormwater permit in the last three years. YRK is calling for more stringent stormwater permitting requirements going forward, including elimination of discharges into public access and swimming areas, new limits for aluminum and other contaminants, and increased enforcement penalties for recurring violations.
During the panel discussion, members of the Concerned Citizens of West Badin, most of whom were former long-term employees of Alcoa Aluminum and all who were residents of the West Badin community where the plant was located, talked about the history of hazardous materials used at the facility. The former employees recounted how chemicals like asbestos, potliner from the smelting process, black coal tar, used oil and PCBs, were disposed of in both Badin Lake and an unlined municipal landfill, know as the Alcoa-Badin Landfill, constructed by Alcoa in the late 1970s, near residential homes in the West Badin community. Alcoa is no longer producing aluminum, closing the plant in 2007 and leaving the waste in unlined landfills, where it continues to lead into surface and groundwater. The community and YRK is concerned that hazardous materials are continuing to leach from the unlined waste dump and into Badin Lake and Little Mountain Creek. Many residents of West Badin and former employees believe the pollution has caused illnesses, including cancer and several deaths.
The Concerned Citizens of West Badin continue to speak out, asking for support from surrounding communities and the state. This is a clear case of environmental injustice in a town that was historically segregated and left with toxic waste from a company that denies any responsibility. For decades, efforts have been made to have West Badin listed as an EPA Superfund site, which would require additional public participation in the cleanup process and force Alcoa to clean up its hazardous waste sites. As a result, the lack of accountability continues to disproportionately impact the health and quality of life of citizens of West Badin.