Meeting planned to discuss contamination

<br>MIAMI, Okla. (AP) _ Local residents will hear from state officials and environmental engineers Tuesday night about benzene contamination found near the former B.F. Goodrich tire plant. <br><br>Concentrations

Monday, February 18th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MIAMI, Okla. (AP) _ Local residents will hear from state officials and environmental engineers Tuesday night about benzene contamination found near the former B.F. Goodrich tire plant.

Concentrations of the toxic chemical were found in October in a neighborhood of 123 homes near the plant. Researchers found benzene up to 24 feet deep, said Ray Roberts of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.

Initial findings indicate drinking water is not being affected by the chemical, which is commonly found in gasoline, kerosene and certain solvents. The city's water comes from an aquifer more than 1,000 feet underground.

``Nobody's using the shallow groundwater for drinking water that we know of,'' Roberts said.

And no reports have been made since researchers asked people in the affected area whether they smelled gasoline fumes in their homes.

But City Manager Mike Spurgeon said city officials have been getting calls about the contamination, and some people are worried.

``We're concerned with any level of contamination,'' he said. ``People are looking to us to be their public advocate.''

The water study was done by URS Corp., an engineering company hired by tire maker Michelin North America. URS spokesman Don Davis said Michelin is contractually responsible for cleaning up any environmental hazards caused by the plant, which closed in 1986.

News of the benzene contamination is the latest problem in a county plagued with environmental troubles.

``Considering you have the Tar Creek Superfund site nearby, it shouldn't be any surprise that you'll have environmental issues (in the county),'' Spurgeon said.

The Superfund site is an area the federal Environmental Protection Agency has marked for cleanup.

Officials found high levels of iron, zinc, manganese, aluminum and lead in Tar Creek last year. Tar Creek also has been a source of bigger problems throughout Ottawa County. Lead mining left huge deposits of chat, a residue of noxious minerals that can cause lead poisoning.

In addition, several county residents and three American Indian tribes recently protested the development of large-scale chicken farms, saying the operations pollute groundwater and streams with animal waste.

``Looking at it as an outsider, it seems like they've had their fair share of (environmental) issues,'' Davis said. ``It just happens they were all in the wrong place at the same time.''