 Trail Creek in Athens, Georgia was contaminated on July 28, 2010, as the result of a fire in a chemical plant.
Chemicals from the plant, including methanol, para-dichlorobenzene, formaldehyde, and glutaraldehyde [1], spilled into the creek. J & J Chemical Company location map Please take a moment to witness this calamity, either in person or through this site, and then let private and public stakeholders know that this destruction of our environment is unacceptable.  Caution: Odors and fumes emanating from the spill may cause headaches, nausea, or other physical discomfort. If you are susceptible to the effects of industrial chemicals, you should avoid the area or wear personal protective equipment.
EPD Accepts J&J Chemical Co. Remediation Plan
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division, in a letter dated August 24, 2010, has accepted a Remedial Action Plan regarding the chemical spill at Trail Creek. The plan, dated August 20, 2010, was prepared for J&J Chemical Co. by HEPACO Inc., the company performing the clean-up from the July 28, 2010 fire and resulting chemical spill. To read the entire remediation plan, as well as the EPD's acceptance, please see the following links:
J and J Remediation Plan.pdf View Download
EPD Acceptance of Remediation Plan.pdf View Download
Suit Filed in Trail Creek Spill
From Athens Talks, August 20, 2010
A class action lawsuit was filed in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court on Friday, August 20, 2010 on behalf of property owners along Trail Creek in Athens, Georgia against J&J Chemical Company.
The suit alleges nuisance and trespass, among other causes of action related to the spill of poisonous chemicals into the creek, killing its wildlife, dying it blue, and causing noxious odors or fumes and foamy build up along the creek’s route to the North Oconee River.
Eric Krasle, a local attorney, as well as John C. Bell, Jr. of Augusta’s Bell and Brigham firm and Jim Dunlap, an Atlanta attorney, represent the current Plaintiffs and will be adding additional ones.
According to Krasle, who also owns land along the Oconee River downstream and represented plaintiffs in the 2006 Hunnicutt Creek petroleum spill in northern Athens, “The pending litigation may be instrumental in obtaining documents, which may not otherwise be disclosed, as well as unifying potential Plaintiffs in an action which efficiently addresses the liability, remediation, and future prevention issues.” EPD Issues Consent Order for Clean-Up in Wake of Chemical Spill
From the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, August 13, 2010
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has issued a consent order requiring the operator of a fire-damaged Athens-Clarke County chemical plant to properly clean up the area and to also take steps to ensure that no further runoff damages nearby creeks and rivers.
The J&J Chemical Co. caught fire July 28, and runoff from the fire carried toxic chemicals and a blue dye used in toilet bowl cleaners into Trail Creek and a tributary. The runoff is blamed for a major fish kill, but did not threaten drinking water supplies. Trail Creek flows into the North Oconee and Oconee rivers.
Under the terms of the order, J&J Chemical Co. has agreed to do the following:
A consent order is a type of enforcement action used by EPD to address environmental damage and ensure that it is properly cleaned up. The entire Consent Order may be viewed at EPD consent order 8-13-2010.pdf View Download
EPD also has received results from the latest round of water testing, and those results indicate that water quality continues to improve. One of six water samples taken from the North Oconee and Oconee rivers contained paradichlorobenzene at 14 parts per billion (ppb), which is well below water quality standards for healthy aquatic life. Lab tests show the other five samples did not contain the chemical.
More test results from creek water should be available early next week. EPD recommends that people and pets stay out of the creek until contaminants from the fire are no longer detected in the water. Upper Oconee Watershed Network Remains Vigilant
Upper Oconee Watershed Network (UOWN) members have remained active in responding to the chemical spill in Trail Creek weeks since the toxic pollution began.
UOWN's most recent quarterly monitoring was August 14 at Ben Burton Park. More information on monitoring is available at www.uown.org
Here is what we know now:
Altamaha Riverkeeper (ARK), with efforts led by Ben Emanuel, continues to push the EPD to evaluate potential remediation strategies in the large wetland area holding much of the chemicals in the upper East Fork Trail Creek basin. EPD Assistant Director Jim Ussery visited the area on August 11 and told ARK that the EPD will expand the sampling program to include more points in the creek and continue to report those results until no chemicals are detected. He also said EPD will "continue to take all actions necessary to secure and remediate this site and to restore the creek and wetlands."
Environmental Law Firm Requests Meeting, Information
Many thanks to Justine Thompson, Executive Director of GreenLaw, a non-profit environmental law firm in Atlanta, for sending a letter to J&J Chemical Co., the GEPD, the EPA, ACC, and Mayor Davison outlining our concerns regarding the Trail Creek chemical spill.
The August 5 letter, written on behalf of Altamaha Riverkeeper, the Athens Grow Green Coalition, Georgia River Network, and Upper Oconee Watershed Network, requests, among other things, a meeting to "create a dialogue among all of the relevant agencies, representatives of J&J Corporation, and the local community that will help to allay public concerns and chart a path on how to best ensure that the public health and the environment are protected in the future."
The entire letter and its addendum, which includes many of the questions and concerns raised by community members at the public meeting on August 2, 2010, may be accessed on our Files page.
Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division Report on Fish Kills in Trail Creek
Below is a tour of the J & J Chemical Company fire / chemical spill aftermath from ground zero to the North Oconee River four miles away. Most of the images in the slideshow were taken on the evening of July 30, two days after the incident.
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