Toxics

A toxic legacy lingers across our coast.

Communities across Georgia are burdened with toxic waste sites. Originating primarily from private industry, the pollution on these sites impacts our water quality, land use, public health, and wildlife. Cleaning up these toxic sites is ultimately the responsibility of the polluters and the EPA or Georgia’s Environmental Protection Department (EPD). Unfortunately, cleanup plans are often insufficient and delayed, allowing pollutants to linger migrate beyond property lines through the air and water, devastating the health of local residents and wildlife.

While the impact of these toxic sites can span an entire community, they are disproportionately located in low-income, minority communities. As a result, people of color along our coast are more likely to experience public health issues, diminished property values, and lost access to natural resources as a result of toxic contamination.

Currently, 134 of Georgia’s 159 counties have at least one site listed on the state’s Hazardous Site Inventory, with 22 Superfund sites across the state.

Coastal Georgia has more than 60 sites listed on the inventory, and four Superfund sites are located within Glynn County.

Toxic Sites Threaten Human and Wildlife Health

Every time we recreate by or consume fish caught near hazardous sites, humans risk dangerous exposure to carcinogenic chemicals, such as Toxaphene in Terry Creek and PCBs near the Honeywell-LCP Superfund site. Serious health impacts have also been documented on local wildlife such as fish and marine mammals, which accumulate the toxic materials in their tissue. These sites pose a threat to our economy and quality of life, as property values decline when hazardous materials are discovered. Often times, residents with the ability to leave will move from the community, leaving the most vulnerable residents behind to endure the ongoing threats.

We’re working to protect our communities’ health.

Georgians deserve a say in the cleanup plans that impact their community. That’s why One Hundred Miles has taken an active role in advocating for responsible cleanup plans to address our coast’s hazardous waste sites. In Glynn County, the Honeywell-LCP and Terry Creek Superfund sites are currently undergoing planning for remediation. Our staff is working with community members and the EPA to ensure cleanup plans adequately restore our land, water quality, wildlife, and public safety.

Most recently, OHM took legal action in 2020 to stop an inadequate settlement agreement meant to compensate for damages caused by the release of toxic chemicals from the Honeywell-LCP Superfund Site in Brunswick. The proposed $4 million agreement was not only wholly insufficient, it put our citizens’ health at risk. GADNR later dropped the case, giving us a chance to fight for a more equitable solution.

Under Georgia’s Hazardous Waste Management Act, the state’s EPD currently has no responsibility to consider local government’s positions on hazardous waste sites, cleanup alternatives, land use plans, or zoning when authorizing the federal government’s recommended cleanup plans. In order to ensure the interests of every community are considered, OHM is exploring ways to amend state law to provide local governments more consideration when the State is asked for consent on Superfund clean-up/mitigation plans.

You can help.

Educating yourself and sharing information with friends and family is the easiest way to make a difference. To learn more, watch One Hundred Miles’ action webinar about the Honeywell-LCP and Terry Creek Superfund Sites. Additionally, writing a letter to the editor is a great way to expand your reach and ensure more members of our community are made aware of toxic contamination issues.

We must also continue putting pressure on the US EPA to advocate for just cleanup of our marshes and waterways contaminated by private entities and to hold responsible parties accountable. One Hundred Miles will continue to post links on this page as opportunities to take action arise.

In the meantime, learn more about how to protect your family from toxics and make a difference in your community by clicking here.