Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper says the county is "taking seriously" the allegations that a plant operated by Dow Chemical contaminated the groundwater at West Virginia State University, but he does not think that will affect a proposal to build a sports complex at nearby Shawnee Regional Park.
Carper said the groundwater underneath the park has not been tested for 1,4-dioxane, 1,1-dichloroethane and chloroform, which WVSU officials say were found at "elevated levels" in the groundwater 15 to 50 feet beneath the campus.
"I don't think [the groundwater at Shawnee has been tested] because West Virginia State University didn't give us the courtesy of telling us, nor did the [state Department of Environmental Protection]," Carper said Monday afternoon.
Emails seeking comment from WVSU were not immediately returned.
"Please note that WVDEP, at the request of WVSU, reviewed the studies that were performed and based on the information provided no threat to human health was found," Jake Glance, DEP spokesman, said late Monday in an emailed response to a request for comment.
University officials say the contamination does not pose a health risk because the campus does not use groundwater for its drinking water. The pollution threatens campus development plans and harms the school's reputation, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit seeks to force the companies to clean up the contamination, prevent future migration of the chemicals and compensate the university for harm to its image in the public and with potential students. The lawsuit also names as defendants previous operators of the plant.
The commission is considering building a multi-sport complex at the park located near the plant in Institute. The complex would include four collegiate-sized turf baseball/softball fields, six collegiate turf soccer/lacrosse fields, several grass practice fields, a community building, new playgrounds with shelters and parking lots. Commissioners have not yet voted on the proposal.
Carper said work to build the complex would include taking necessary samples, including of the groundwater. He doesn't think the project would involve digging deep enough for the groundwater contamination to matter.
"We're not talking about building a 10-story structure on it; apparently that's what State wants to do," Carper said.
Carper called the issue a "wholesale failure by DEP," which he said should have notified owners of adjacent land, including the county, of the alleged groundwater contamination.
"They should have told everyone a long time ago," he said. "At least that's my opinion."
Carper said he does not intend to shut down Shawnee Park or the park's pool.
"I'm not aware of any health hazard but we will look into it with due diligence," Carper said.
Carper said as soon as the lawsuit was filed last week, a representative from Dow called him and went over the lawsuit with him.
In a news release Monday, county officials said they are reviewing documents related to the lawsuit.
"We have taken immediate note that there is no health risk to the public and we will continue to review the documents and do our due diligence to determine if there is an effect on Shawnee Parks as it is directly adjacent to West Virginia State University," General Allen Tackett, president of the Kanawha Parks and Recreation Board, said in the news release.
Commissioner Ben Salango said in the release the lawsuit will not affect the county's plans to design and engineer the complex.
"The multi-sports complex is in the best interest of the public and the children of the Kanawha Valley," Salango said. "We will move forward with our design and present preliminary project schematics this month to the public."
Reach Lori Kersey at lori.kersey@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1240 or follow @LoriKerseyWV on Twitter.