Background 2006 Government St is a registered Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) superfund site, MSD048816953. The former optics plant (Ferson Optics) at the location heavily utilized TCE, a known carcinogen. Ferson Optic was acquired by Bausch & Lomb, and later acquired by Leica Microsystems (current owner). TCE breaks down into DCE and Vinyl Chloride. These chemicals increase the risk of kidney cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer and brain cancer. They also increase the risk of leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Since 2003 Leica has failed to meet target remediation levels on every voluntary evaluation plan Leica wrote for themselves. They have not been fined or penalized, instead they are permitted to write a new plan. In that time, the pollutants have migrated outside the bounds of the Leica property. Neither MDEQ or the City notified adjacent property owners that their property was being polluted.
Community Concerns No physical barrier exists around the perimeter of the property. Natural clay deposits do not keep pollutants on the property. There are no protections from ground water contaminants moving due to heavy rainfall or flood events. A drainage pipe bringing water to the creek intersects a plume of pollutants. The City should evaluate rerouting the drainage pipe. Multiple plumes show levels of toxins increasing. A plume off the property is 385 times higher for DCE than the EPA standard. TCE levels are 240 times above EPA standards and Vinyl Chloride is 2,000 times the EPA standard. Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) says (Mar 9 meeting) this is safe, but then states that if there is a hotel built on the site, there can't be any sleeping quarters on the first floor. Does this sound safe to you? See MDEQ's response to questions submitted after the meeting.
Public Works Property
Ocean Springs Water Treatment and Waste Treatment plants were located at the current public works site north of the Leica property until the 1990s. The City was cited with an EPA violation in the 1970s. There has been no environmental assessment conducted on the property. The adjacent Armory had underground storage tanks for petroleum. An air quality test was conducted on the Leica property and levels of petroleum in excess of EPA standards were observed.
Both the Optics Brownfield (Leica) and the Public Works properties have been included in the City's revised Urban Renewal Plan Area. The Mayor is keen to push development of the area forward including locating a possible hotel on the Leica property.
What we want:
Both properties should be independently studied prior to any development on the site
An acceptable remediation plan with clear accountability and funding by Leica or those other than taxpayers should be completed before disturbing soils or developing the properties
The City should not buy this property and thereby take on the cleanup liability