EPD acknowledges PR miscues
ATLANTA – City, county and legislative officials from Effingham County expressed relief Monday after getting an update directly from Environmental Protection Division Director Jud Turner about state efforts to safeguard the Ogeechee River.
Two dozen officials met with Turner and his top staffers in a Capitol conference room where he outlined what the EPD has done since it traced the state’s largest fish kill to King American Finishing’s river discharge.
County Commissioner Steve Mason noted that people living as much as a mile inland were too nervous to fish, hunt game or consume water from their wells even though repeated tests have shown them to be safe.
“We’ve got people a mile from the river who are boiling water. They’re scared,” he said.
Commissioner Vera Jones urged EPD to spell out each step it took and explain their impact in a “white paper” made available to local officials and the public. Turner agreed to the idea.
EPD says it wasn’t informed when King America began discharging pollutants into the Ogeechee as part of a fire-retardant process launched at the riverside plant. When a drought dropped the river’s water flow in 2011, it concentrated the pollutants enough in the stream to kill the fish, setting off a chain of enforcement actions, including a $1 million fine.
As a result of publicity and repeated legal challenges by a group of property owners and environmental organizations, the EPD has little public credibility, Turner acknowledged.
“I recognize from a P.R. standpoint this has not been fun for anybody,” he said.
Even his friends from that area are suspicious of the agency’s data.
“They, honest to goodness, believe there is a conspiracy and we’re being duped,” he said.
After the 90-minute meeting, the local officials said they had a better understanding of the state’s role.
“I’ve been following this pretty closely, and this is all news to me,” Mason said of what he heard Monday.
The local officials and legislative delegation also met with Georgia Transportation Commissioner Keith Golden about road improvements in the county. He praised local planning efforts and said that while money is tight, he is trying to use funds for small projects that can have a major impact.
“We know we can make a big improvement in small things,” he said. “You don’t have to widen the whole road every time.”
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