Three months after the Hercules site in Hattiesburg was placed on the Superfund National Priorities List by the Environmental Protection Agency – allowing the EPA and other organizations access significant technical and financial resources to address environmental and health risks – the EPA will host a public meeting to address the status of the site.
The meeting, which is the follow-up to a previous public hearing regarding the site, will start with a presentation from 6-6:45 p.m. on March 16 at the C.E. Roy Community Center at 300 East 5th Street in downtown Hattiesburg. That will be followed by an open house with EPA officials and partnering agency staff to discuss the listing of the site, health concerns and community involvement opportunities.
“The last meeting was more of a listening session, as the EPA weighed whether to put the Hercules site on the National Priorities List as a superfund site,” Mayor Toby Barker said. “They have decided to do that, and so this (meeting) is more for the public to get information about what those next steps might be.
“I think we’re all sort of learning as we go on this one. Obviously, more resources come to bear, but it’s a longer process, and I think the EPA is there to lay out what those next steps might be. (They will discuss) what it means to be a superfund site, and kind of the role the EPA will play in our community as the process moves forward.”
The previous hearing was held last May at the community center, where the public was given a chance to offer opinions and other comments regarding the Hercules site before deciding whether to place the former plant on the Superfund National Priorities List. EPA officials had announced in March of that year that the agency added 12 sites and was proposing to add another five, including the Hercules site, to the NPL where releases of contamination pose significant human health and environmental risks.
“It was (a good turnout),” Barker said. “Any time there’s a town hall meeting about one issue, it kind of evolves to cover other issues.
“But I think the city’s position is that we want to make sure the site is safe, and we want to see the property returned to productive use for the community. I think the EPA shares that goal, and they’re going to guide this process going forward.”
The Hercules site off West 7th Street was built shortly after World War I and started out with a small workforce before expanding to one of the state's largest employers over the next 50 years. In its heyday, the company produced more than 250 chemical products.
But after about 60 years in business, production at the plant began to slow down because of the sluggish economy and decreased efficiency. Employment continued to steadily drop until operations finally ceased in 2009.
In early 2011, investigations uncovered several harmful contaminants that were released into the environment after the facility closed.
In May 2011, the EPA issued an order to Hercules, requiring the company to conduct on- and off-site monitoring, testing and reporting to determine the nature and extent of any environmental contamination at and from the Hattiesburg facility.
In December 2012, sludge cleanup began at the impoundment basin.
In 2013, the City of Hattiesburg sued Hercules and Ashland, alleging groundwater contamination from the closed factory may have leached into the city's water supply. The suit also alleged Hercules improperly disposed of harmful chemicals in the facility for decades.
In 2016, it was announced that the City of Hattiesburg would receive $3 million in a settlement regarding that issue. The settlement involved only the Hercules property and not outside residences that may have individual lawsuits pending.
“I think (being placed on the priority list) gives us some sense of certainty on what the process is, going forward,” Barker said. “When a site is placed on the National Priorities List, that is the list, and we can be assured that the EPA is going to put everything they have into making this property safe for the future.
“Hopefully, after several years, it can be redeveloped in some way. But I think the community has a role in saying what its wishes are.”
To learn more about the Hercules project and site status, visit www.epa.gov/superfund/hercules-inc.
