From 1955 to 1977, a capacitor plant dumped 400,000 pounds of PCBs (toxic PolyChlorinated Biphenyl compounds) into Twelve Mile Creek, which drains into Hartwell Lake. Judge G. Ross Anderson filed an order today stating that $3 million of the $9 million settlement be allotted to restore both the creek and lake habitat for fish and wildlife. Schlumberger Technology Corp. are the current site owners, and are legally responsible for the sins of corporations past. The Water Education and Environmental Center will be the trustees, and manage site cleanup. The order also recommends spending $3 million to remove the third dam on Twelve Mile Creek.
The trustees' attorney, Paul League, in an October 13th 2009 statement, said the trustees had decided that removing the third dam would not be feasible.
The WEEC has a plan to build a 32,000-square-foot education and training center on the shore of Hartwell Lake. A steering committee was apparently seeking $7 million from the trustees for the facility. The trustees rejected the idea, stating it did not meet specific goals for fish habitat restoration and fishing.
Carl Edwards, the spokesman for the group, has said they have a second meeting scheduled with the trustees, to explain their position more clearly.
