It seems that Olin Corp. has been reading the papers and
listening to citizens because it has begun to show up and talk to
people.
It seems that Olin Corp. has been reading the papers and listening to citizens because it has begun to show up and talk to people.
After months of hiding behind its attorneys – legal advisers always prefer clients to be neither seen nor heard – the company responsible for polluting the entire underground water system from Morgan Hill to north Gilroy has reappeared. Poking their heads above ground for the first time at a recent Perchlorate Citizens’ Advisory Group meeting in San Martin, Olin representatives announced a $500,000 cleanup of its Tennant Avenue site where perchlorate was used in safety flare manufacture for 40 years. And they spent some time listening to regular people.
The mood at the PCAG meeting was civilized and calm, though, remembering the far more boisterous initial meeting a year ago just after the contamination was announced, organizers asked Sheriff’s Department deputies to hang about, and keep the peace if needed. They weren’t – this time.
Though Olin had taken part in providing free bottled water for residents whose private wells were contaminated, and in testing hundreds of private wells, they had never appeared at any public meeting, leaving the dealing with upset citizens scared about their children’s’ health and their property values to the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
However, Olin still has to address many other outstanding issues. They need to consider how much it has cost the City of Morgan Hill to install its own perchlorate treatment facilities or to drill new wells tapping into unpolluted groundwater.
These matters are now being paid for by Morgan Hill residents because the city had to raise water rates to cover the costs.
While Olin is paying for one new well, it has steadfastly, so far, avoided shouldering any responsibility for polluted city wells north of Tennant Avenue. The city, water district and Olin need to agree on how to conduct a study to determine if the flare firm could be responsible for the northern pollution.
