|
 More than four decades later, Mansfield is an
enthusiastic participant on The Elizabeth River
Project’s new Task Force for the Revitalization
of Money Point, on the South Norfolk shore of
the river. With $5 million set aside in a sister
Trust fund (see separate story) to clean up the
off-shore mess, correlated with cancer in fish,
Mansfield is helping plan how current industries
and residents along the shore can prevent
recontamination while taking advantage of a new
day for this long-blighted point.
Mansfield, who works at the nearby LaFarge plant
on Money Point, in Cheapeake’s South Norfolk, on
May 10 gave Task Force members an eye-witness
account of the fire as they toured Money Point
aboard a cruise donated by the Carrie B. The
University of Virginia’s Institute for
Environmental Negotiation is facilitating the
Task Force for Elizabeth River Project, with
more than 50 participants from industries, the
community, state, city and federal agencies and
other stakeholders.
 Also
on board the Carrie B, providing explanations of
potential cleanup options, was the engineering
firm of SAIC. The firm was hired by The
Elizabeth River Project in early May after a
national search for the best firm to complete
sampling of the estimated 35 acres of off-shore
contamination and recommend the cleanup
strategy. The $300,000 study is to be completed
by October 2006, with critical interaction with
the task force throughout.
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All seven
industries along the adjacent shore at Money
Point will need to provide input such as
regarding future navigation needs that could
limit cleanup options. One option is a thin
layer to “cap” the contamination with clean
material such as sand, but this will not be
done where future navigation needs exist. A
combination of capping and removal of
contamination may be considered.
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Industries
and residents, with the help of city, state,
federal and private experts including UVA’s
urban architect Phoebe Crisman, are planning
the revitalization of the shoreline. This is
critical as many sediment cleanup projects
never reach implementation due to concern
that the site will re-contaminate from
sources not addressed on shore.
Amerada Hess, the oil refinery and one of the
largest current landowners at Money Point, has
entered its site in the state’s Voluntary
Remediation Program with extensive plans for
addressing any current sources of contamination.
Hess sponsored dinner for Task Force members on
the cruise.
Also addressing the task force was Kristeen
Gaffney with the US Environmental Protection
Agency, Region III, to describe funding
resources which may be available for shoreline
cleanups. The Task force, which convened in
January 2005, has set this vision: To make Money
Point “a model for the coexistence of thriving
industries and environmental regeneration.”
UVA graduate students, helping with the project,
have prepared a brief history of Money Point,
available through The Elizabeth River Project.
UVA and Elizabeth River Project staff met with
about 30 community members at Money Point
Baptist Church over dinner on May 9, and planted
a tree to celebrate the revitalization.
Special thanks to project sponsors including:
Virginian-Pilot, Virginia Environmental
Endowment, Andrus Family Foundation, Elizabeth
River Restoration Trust. For information or to
get involved in the Money Point project, call
Joe Rieger at The Elizabeth River Project,
399-7487. |
