Officials begin environmental testing on old refinery site in Cushing

(Cushing-AP) -- Environmental contractors plan to start testing the soil and water at an old refinery in Cushing to see if the site needs to be cleaned up.<br/><br/>They'll start work in June at the

Monday, May 24th 2004, 5:41 pm

By: News On 6

(Cushing-AP) -- Environmental contractors plan to start testing the soil and water at an old refinery in Cushing to see if the site needs to be cleaned up.

They'll start work in June at the Hudson Refinery for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and the US Environmental Protection Agency. The investigation should take two years.

The EPA has already removed asbestos and chemical compounds from the site four times. But tests done in 1998 showed heavy metals and chemicals linked to cancer were still in the area.

The refinery closed in 1982.

Monty Elder with the DEQ says the goal is to make the land usable again.

A scientist with the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease doesn't think the site is an immediate hazard to public health.