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- [S80] Rawlings Funeral Home, (http://www.rawlingsfuneralhome.com/), 26 Mar 2003.
Harry B. Cate obituary
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 27 Apr 2004.
This is the second installment of a four-part series on the Old Sevier County Landfill and how residents living nearby say it has impacted their lives. Part One offered background on the landfill's history. Part Two, below, focuses on some of the contaminants found in the groundwater around the landfill. Part Three will focus on the health effects residents believe the contaminants have caused. Part Four will focus on the community's call for action and the response of our public officials.
Because of the choking fumes and stench that prohibit sitting outside on summer nights and the black soot-like material that sometimes coats cars and lawns, nearby residents say they are sick of living with the effects of the Old Sevier County landfill.
After 30 years, those living closest to the landfill along Ridge, Rainbow and Cain Hollow roads and Ella and Parlin drives say there has been little improvement. Now, area residents, like Ben Cusick, say the real killer - perhaps literally - may have been the contamination of their drinking water supply. Cusick's well on Rainbow Road is contaminated with toxic chemicals.
Jeffery Smith, a project geologist for Draper Aden Associates of Blacksburg, Va., who has been testing for contaminants in eight private water wells and three springs within a one-mile radius of the landfill since 2000, has confirmed finding toxic chemicals in the groundwater.
Smith's tests for 64 volatile organic constituents have shown that two of the sample wells have consistently shown some level of contaminants since 2000, with only one of those showing contaminants above acceptable drinking standards. Three other wells have shown some level of contaminants at least once since testing began in 2000.
While Smith said his tests show that contaminants in the groundwater are decreasing, he adds that vinyl chloride - the last step in the breakdown of plastics and various solvents tossed into the landfill - is the most toxic, and it is toxic at lower levels than the original product.
Smith said that, unfortunately, these same types of contaminants are being found in groundwater around old landfills across the nation.
"We're seeing that 70 to 80 percent of old, closed landfills built from the 1960s through the early 1980s have solvents in the groundwater. Every town had a source of these being produced," said Smith. "When it comes to our backyard, it's frightening to see how some of these substances were handled," he added.
David Ogle, of 661 Rainbow Road, who has lived beside the landfill for 20 years, said he recalls factories dumping barrels of chemicals into Phases I and II of the landfill.
A July 1997 inspection report by Rick Brown, of the Division of Solid Waste Management Department of Environment & Conservation, states that all fill areas of the old landfill "received municipal solid waste and some 'special waste' from Sevier County."
The document does not specify what "special waste" is.
Contaminants from the breakdown of plastics and solvents, like vinyl chloride, are able to enter groundwater sources under the landfills because the bottoms of landfills built during the 1960s through 1980s were not lined with material to prevent liquids from seeping down through them.
In regard to his testing, Smith said, "First you try to determine how bad the contamination is now. If there is past data, it helps you get an idea of 'it's this bad now, but this is how bad it was in the past five or six years,' and if the proportions are reducing, you can determine whether the breakdown is starting or ending."
Private water wells near Phases I, II and III of the Old Sevier County Landfill were condemned around 1989, following years of citizen complaints about the quality of the water.
There appears to be no record of whether private wells in the area were ever tested for contaminants prior to 1991.
For 15 years after the landfill opened, unsuspecting residents used the water from their wells. It was not until about 1988 when their water began to smell, taste and look so bad that residents stopped drinking it. Residents also reported the water had either an oily film or black particles in it and stained clothing washed in it.
While Smith's tests of the eight private wells and three springs since 2000 show the levels of contaminants is now decreasing, what is not known is how high the levels were during the 1980s.
Nearby residents contend the levels were high enough to be a serious health hazard.
cgrimm@themountainpress.com
Tests show groundwater near landfill contains toxic chemicals
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 29 Apr 2004.
This is the final installment of a four-part series on the Old Sevier County Landfill and how residents living nearby say it has impacted their lives. Part One offered background on the landfill's history. Part Two focused on some of the contaminants found in the groundwater around the landfill. Part Three focused on the health effects residents believe the contaminants have caused. Part Four, below, focuses on the community's call for action and the response of our public officials.
What do those living around the Old Sevier County Landfill hope to gain by speaking out now about the cancers they believe may be related to contaminated water?
At this time, no one knows the cause of the cancers. People get sick all the time and even cancers are sometimes misdiagnosed. For example, Sue Trentham of Ridge Road, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor, learned just Monday that she was misdiagnosed - what appeared to be a tumor is a thickening of the bone in the skull.
To determine if a cancer cluster related to the landfill exists, Dr. Paul Erwin, an epidemiologist with the Regional Health Department in Knoxville, said an in-depth investigation must be conducted and even then there is no guarantee of determining it to be a true cancer cluster. Epidemiologists would use their knowledge of diseases, environmental science, lifestyle factors and biostatistics to study the case.
Those affected say even if it could be proven that the cancers known to have killed residents of Ridge, Rainbow and Cain Hollow roads and Ella and Parlin drives were caused by exposure to vinyl chloride in the groundwater around the landfill, what would it solve?
A lawsuit could never bring back their husbands, parents, sisters or friends.
Ben Cusick of Rainbow Road said nothing can ever mitigate the bitterness he feels over his community having been forced to accept living beside a landfill.
"They pick on the weak, the ones without money. I've got sense to know you've got to put a landfill somewhere, but it should be put where it will have the least effect on people and they should give the ones that are there a decent amount for their land and move them out of there before they ever start," said Cusick.
Louise Dodgin, Richard and Frances Lakebrink, Ben and Justeen Maples and many of their neighbors are also bitter about the landfill's impact on their lives, but feel there is little that can be done to compensate them.
Aside from wanting others in Sevier County to know how much they have suffered and to give them the respect they deserve, most affected members of the community ask only that they not have to pay for their water.
"It was the county that condemned our wells - we shouldn't have to pay a dime for water," said Richard Lakebrink.
County Mayor Larry Waters, who sits on the Sevier Solid Waste Authority, referred the community's request to Pigeon Forge City Manager Earlene Teaster, chairman of the Solid Waste Authority board.
Teaster said, "In my opinion, it would have to be the elected officials of the cities and the county that would have to address it."
While she said the city's legal counsel would have to investigate the issue, Teaster said she believes someone other than the waste authority board members, possibly a member of the community, would first have to make a request.
"As chairman of the board I am willing to work with whomever is needed to determine the procedures to follow on this issue of obtaining free water service from the city of Pigeon Forge for residents who were affected at the time city water was run to the area," said Teaster, adding, "This opens up a lot of discussion even for elected officials."
Both Waters and Teaster also expressed consideration for the impact of the landfill on the community.
"I can say from a personal level, having a solid waste disposal facility in a community certainly requires sacrifice in a community and takes something out of a community, there's no question about that," said Waters.
He went on to say that, "As far as the other issues, I just don't know enough about it. Anytime anyone is sick from anything - cancer or other things - that certainly is a tragedy and it's something that everyone is concerned about."
As it relates to the residents having the landfill in their backyard, Teaster said, "I don't know the best solution. I think everybody that serves on the (Solid Waste) board ... we all appreciate those folks and know what they've gone through - nobody likes garbage in their backyard."
Tom Leonard, current manager of Sevier Solid Waste Inc., who had nothing to do with construction or operation of the Old Sevier County Landfill, said he has looked, but not found any files in the Sevier Solid Waste Inc. offices regarding what may have been dumped in the old landfill.
"We don't have any files, but special waste is approved by the state. It can be for sludge from wastewater or anything out of industry like plastic packaging and floor sweepings, unless it's classified," said Leonard, adding that certain things are considered hazardous now that were not back then.
"If it was classified as hazardous in the 1970s, it would not have been allowed to go into the landfill," added Leonard. "The only old records I found were for sludge and floor sweepings from Arnold Engineering and both went through the state special waste permit process."
Leonard also pointed out that the state of Tennessee is now looking at all old landfills.
"We are probably ahead of the curve on that because we have monitoring wells around the landfill and we know what's in the groundwater, most of the old landfills don't," said Leonard.
Since 1999, Leonard has hired Draper Aden Associates of Virginia to conduct water tests for contaminants in private wells and to design a plan to promote better drainage and prevent further leakage problems with Old Sevier County Landfill Phase I. Stopping the leaking will be accomplished by adding demolition landfill to the top of Phase I and covering it with a clay cap.
In addition, Leonard has promised he will continue to crack down on enforcing the covering of loads being brought into the landfill which will cut down on the amount of trash littering area roadways. He also said he would do a better job of putting litter fencing around the landfill to prevent trash from blowing onto private property.
Those near old landfill seek free water
- [S76] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume III, 1974-1986, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 17 Oct 1977.
Leonard Elmer Cusick obiutary
- [S23] Atchley Funeral Home, (http://www.atchleyfuneralhome.com/), 10 Apr 2010.
Andrew Benjamin Cusick
March 30, 1931 - April 10, 2010
Birthplace: Sevier County, Tennessee
Resided In: Sevierville Tennessee USA
Visitation: April 12, 2010
Service: April 12, 2010
Cemetery: Knob Creek Cemetery
Andrew Benjamin “Ben” Cusick, age 79, of Sevierville, passed away Saturday, April 10, 2010. Ben was a lifelong Sevier County resident and graduate of Sevier County High School. He spent four years in the U.S. Navy and then went to work for Bell Telephone for 35 years until retirement. He enjoyed farming and talking with people. Ben was a long time member of First Baptist Church, Sevierville and resided in the Mt. Zion community for 52 years.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Elmer and Mayme Delozier Cusick, sister and brother-in-law, Absure and Eleanor “Toots” Rogers, and brother-in-law, Arlee Messer.
Survivors:
Wife: Betty Lou Cate Cusick
Sons and daughters-in-law: Al and Kim Klein Cusick, Brent and Rebecca Layman Cusick
Grandchildren: Alysyn Cusick Williams, Brady Andrew Cusick, Braxton Kelly Cusick
Sister: Mary Cusick Messer
In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to First Baptist Church Building Fund, 317 Parkway, Sevierville, Tennessee 37862, or to the church of your choice.
Funeral service 7 PM Monday in the West Chapel of Atchley Funeral Home with Rev. Randy Davis officiating. Family and friends will meet 11 AM Tuesday in Knob Creek Cemetery for graveside service and interment with Rev. Scott Carter officiating. Honorary pallbearers will be the Johnny Ownby Sunday School Class of First Baptist Church, Sevierville. The family will receive friends 4-7 PM Monday at Atchley Funeral Home, Sevierville. (www.atchleyfuneralhome.com)
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