News

Grandview Hills on track for construction

Print this story | Email this story

Grandview Hills Elementary is back on track for construction, thanks to a favorable report from environmental consultants Weston Solutions and cooperation of neighbors - who either agreed the site was safe or “agreed to disagree.”

Susan Litherland of Weston Solutions released a summary of the final environmental report at the May 3 Leander ISD board meeting. Litherland said that, with remediation and periodic testing, the facility will be safe for children.

Litherland said chloroform found beneath a concrete slab was the only contaminant her company discovered that was attributable to chemical testing at the facility. She said the amount found was small - the equivalent of 10 drops. The chemical can be safely removed by a vent system, with periodic testing for one year.

“It's a very small amount,” Litherland of the chloroform. “There probably was a sewer leak, but not massive. With venting, it will go away. Chloroform evaporates very quickly when exposed to air, but the slab has been holding it under the building.”

The system proposed by Weston would vent the subslab air through a pipe above the two-story roof. The vented chemicals would not be detectable from the ground, she said.

A small amount of mercury was found in a treatment tank. Even so, Litherland said water found in the tank actually met standards for drinking water. She recommended removing the tank and backfilling the area with soil.

“What we found in the tank gave us a high level of confidence,” she said. “They were not just dumping tons of chemicals or it would've been nasty.” Mercury from thermometers and other devices commonly winds up in the drains of laboratories and hospitals, she said.

Slightly elevated levels of tarry chemicals known as PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) were found in five soil samples, Litherland said. These were likely a result of runoff rom a parking area. “We were using very very conservative values from the TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality),” she said. Weston recommended that soil containing PAH's be removed and replaced.

Wipe samples detected low levels of plastic-related chemicals known as phthalates. Litherland said these were likely the remnant of a flooring adhesive, and the area should be covered by new flooring material. The chemical would not come up through the tiles.

She also said wipe samples turned up a very small amount of benzoic acid, but the levels were so low, she believes the result was an artifact of the testing procedure.

Weston measured electromagnetic fields near power lines that cross the property and determined they would not be a problem. “There are no definitive standards, but there are six states with standards and all our readings were below their limits,” she said. “Right under the lines, some readings were above state standards, so we recommended shifting a ball field slightly.”

At the start of the meeting, Trustee Pam Waggoner said the district did not hire Weston to perform additional testing because of public pressure. “We did it because it was the right thing to do, not because we were forced. We decided it needed to be done and it didn't matter how much it cost.”

Trustee Don McCall agreed. “We did the preliminary testing and said we would do additional testing.”

Trustee Debra Farst said Grandview Hills Elementary “may be the cleanest and most environmentally safe campus we have.”

R.J. Brideau of River Place spoke in support of the new school during citizen comments, thanking the board for listening to the community. “You've done what we voted you in to do,” he said. “I encourage you to listen and not let one or two or five people sound like they're speaking for a thousand. I support the school and I'm one of the representatives of 1,000. I believe you are going to take care of us. I think my kids' future is in great hands.”

Citizens who were concerned about environmental safety at the former Sasol chemical research facility met Monday, April 30 with parents who worried that the school might not open next year. The meeting was held in the home of Cyndi O'Rourke. Richard Hasting and Kelly O'Rourke acted as facilitators. The groups agreed that they would support the opening of the school as long as Leander ISD complied with recommendations of Weston and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Kelli Merchant was pleased with the efforts of the school district and the community. “This has been an interesting road,” she said. “Mistakes were made, but good things have come out of it. I hope everyone will take a breath and reflect on all we've accomplished.”

Merchant expressed pride in her neighbors for coming together in the April 30 meeting. “We had an agenda and we stuck to the agenda,” she said. “It was pretty amazing. Ironically, we found we had a lot of the same

goals. We were just using different tactics.”

Beth Ward, one of the first parents to raise concerns about environmental safety, remains cautious, but was also pleased with her community's ability to come together. “I think that it is important, as neighbors, to stand together,” she said. “Last week, several of us got together to listen to each other's concerns. We came to an agreement that we all had a common goal, which was that Grandview Hills Elementary open when it is deemed safe.

“I am interested in hearing what the TCEQ and EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) have to say and am withholding any assumptions until they weigh-in. As the original EPA petitioner, I've had an opportunity to have some of my input and concerns addressed. From that perspective, it is most valuable for me to do that on the front end, rather than later, when the TCEQ finalizes a report.

“We all want what's best for our kids, and I think the passion and dedication that the Grandview Hills community has shown will ensure that,” said Ward.

E-mail charles@hillcountrynews.com

Reader Comments