OFFICIALS ASSUAGE LANDFILL FEARS AT POCAHONTAS

POCAHONTAS -- One man was worried about building a new home in the Pocahontas area.

Another landowner was worried about the devaluation of his property.

Other Pocahontas area citizens were concerned, expressing their feelings to county and state officials.

The cause of the worry was a rumor of a hazardous waste landfill -- supposedly to be constructed just north of this small Southeast Missouri village, a dozen miles north of Cape Girardeau.

"Not to worry," said Gary Gaines, director of the Southeast Missouri Regional Office of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in Poplar Bluff. "A stormwater permit has been issued for a site north of Pocahontas, but it is not a hazardous waste landfill permit."

The permit was issued to Amoco Oil Co., which plans to spread soil, contaminated with some oil, at the site.

"The permit issued to Amoco simply requires that the company sample the water and make sure that no oil contamination is in the runoff," said Gaines.

Amoco has purchased an old sawmill and several acres of land north of Pocahontas.

"The company plans to take some soil that contains a small amount of petroleum to the site, mix it with sawdust and spread it across the land," said Gaines. "Occasionally they have to aerate the soil by running a disk over it.

Some Pocahontas residents knew what was going on.

"I heard that gas- or oil-contaminated soil would be brought in and be mixed with other dirt," said one homeowner. "This didn't worry me. I discussed it with a few people."

Gaines said, "This is an acceptable way of disposing of the oil-contaminated soil.

"Eventually, this operation takes the oil completely out of the soil.

"This is a real low-tech, low-risk means of treating the oil-contaminated soil," added Gaines. "There's no hazard, it will cause no pollution and, in most cases, will actually improve the land.

"It's unfortunate that the rumor of a hazardous waste site started," said Gaines. "If this was the case, the public would definitely know about it. Numerous hearings and requests for public input would be necessary for any type of landfill."