Mississippi Phosphates Corp. is refuting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s claim that ongoing releases of hazardous material from its Pascagoula, Miss., plant are causing “an imminent and substantial danger to human health and the environment.” EPA has ordered corrective measures be taken to protect public health and the environment in the surrounding community, citing the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
In a Sept. 30 statement, Miss Phos responded that plant corrective actions were initiated immediately after an inspection detected surface and groundwater contamination within the plant, and that additional work is underway. “Surface water contamination within the plant has been mitigated and the company has confirmed through third-party testing that the groundwater contamination is localized, contained and that there has been no migration off site,” the company insisted. “Options to respond to groundwater contamination are under evaluation.”
EPA stated that the agency and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality conducted inspections of the plant on July 13 and 14 and collected sampling data on Aug. 11-12. According to EPA, the inspections discovered ongoing releases of hazardous waste or hazardous constituents to soil and surface water during the initial inspection, which triggered the return visit to collect samples of soil and groundwater to confirm their initial concerns.
EPA said it believes the imminent and substantial danger to human health and the environment at the plant is due to improper storage, inadequate worker safety equipment, and many leaks and spills of solid and liquid hazardous wastes. Some of the work required of Miss Phos in the RCRA Section 7003 Order includes immediate treatment and containment of releases of hazardous waste; submittal of plans and timetables for rapid remediation of contaminated media; identifying and repairing sources of leaks and spills of sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, and acidic process wastewaters on-site; and submittal of plans and timetables for mitigating contaminant migration. Miss Phos is also required to provide all employees with chemical resistant clothing for use inside the plant.
EPA added that along with the state it will continue to work to oversee Miss Phos’s compliance with environmental laws, regulations, and permits. Miss Phos, which is owned by Phosphate Holdings Inc., produces DAP at the plant for both the domestic and U.S. markets.