Photo by Robert A. Martin / The Free Lance-Star Don Shelton is concerned about health issues at this King George elementary school (background) being built near the county's regional landfill. His child and two grandchildren suffer from asthma, and he doesn't want them attending the school near Sealston. Click for larger photo.

Parent worried about health effects of elementary school built near landfill and power plant

By ROB DAVIS

Date published: 6/3/2004

K.G. elementary close to landfill and power plant

Two miles separate King George's newest elementary school from a power plant and the state's busiest landfill.

Don Shelton says that's too close for his son and two grandchildren, all of whom have asthma.

On Sept. 7, about 550 students in grades K-six will attend their first day of school at the brand-new Sealston Elementary off State Route 603. But Shelton said he will keep his family away to avoid any health effects from spending so much time so close to the landfill and power plant.

"It is a real concern," said Shelton, an auto-body repairman. "I don't know why they built the elementary school and didn't think."

County officials say there is little to Shelton's claims. But some environmental health experts say the concerns are valid enough to consider monitoring the school's air quality.

Two weeks ago, Shelton gave county supervisors a 15-page document that includes reports linking toxic-waste dumps with high cancer rates. The King George Landfill does not accept toxic waste.

In the report, Shelton calls the school site "large-scale human experimentation on elementary-school children" and says landfill gases are a health hazard.

Shelton says he believes landfill operators are doing everything possible to meet state standards, "but there shouldn't be a school beside it--bottom line."

When the School Board and Board of Supervisors both approved the site for King George's third elementary, the western part of the county seemed the obvious choice. The area was growing, and the closest county school was more than eight miles away.

School Board members knew their choice was near the landfill and power plant, but felt it was safe, said board member Rose Marie Ball.

"I really don't feel it's going to be any kind of a threat," Ball said, "no more so than any of our older schools that have asbestos covered or wet things that produce mold spores."

The School Board considered buying land even closer to the landfill and power plant, Ball said, but dismissed them because they were too close or had too much traffic.

Asked if the board weighed potential health risks at the chosen site, Ball referred the question to Superintendent Candace Brown.

Brown said the site was selected before she was hired in March 2001. County supervisors approved the land purchase in November 2002.

Brown referred questions about environmental studies to the county's community development director, who referred questions to the county administrator, who referred questions to county engineer Travis Quesenberry.

Quesenberry said he did not know what environmental studies had been done on the property, and suggested speaking with school officials.

The school's architectural firm conducted an environmental-impact study, said James Copeland, vice president of Moseley Architects of Richmond. That type of analysis looks at a site's history--not the impact of off-site influences.

An environmental scientist did no testing, Copeland said, and the landfill and power plant weren't expressed as concerns.

"I've never heard it brought up before," he said. "It's news to me."

Environmental health experts say that lack of attention is common across the nation. State laws regulate pollution sources, but don't specify what can or can't be built nearby.

"Our rules and regulations don't penetrate down to that specific question," said Jack Spengler, professor of environmental health at the Harvard School of Public Health. "There's a crude pass and then we go on."

The King George Landfill and the Birchwood power plant are two of six Fredericksburg-area businesses categorized under federal clean-air laws as major stationary sources of pollution. But both sites are complying with their permits, said Charlie Forbes, regional air compliance manager with the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Last year, the power plant's emissions of four different regulated pollutants topped 100 tons, including carbon monoxide and particulate matter.

Their greatest impact is felt within three miles of the plant, according to dispersion models the power plant conducted before opening. The school is less than two miles away.

The plant burns low-sulfur coal, and has emissions controls that make it one of Virginia's cleanest power producers, said James Sydnor, a spokesman with DEQ's air assessment office.

"We believe the plant is meeting all its requirements under the emission permit," said Julie Caiafa, Birchwood power plant spokeswoman, "and I don't see why there is a concern based on all that."

Timothy Buckley, an environmental health science professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, said the power plant's emissions are worth checking further.

"It doesn't strike me as being such a smart move to build a school [so close]," Buckley said. "I think you would be particularly concerned about the individuals with underlying diseases such as asthma."

Spengler, the Harvard professor, said evidence suggests students have more exposure to pollutants from inhaling school-bus exhaust than from power plants. But, he added, "It's probably good to ask these questions."

Sealston Elementary's proximity to the landfill raises questions about odor, too.

Late last year, the landfill was producing gas faster than it could be collected. The smell of trash was often evident near the school site, said Jamie Morgan, an administrative manager at an adjacent car dealership on State Route 3.

"Some mornings you were literally gagging," Morgan said.

Waste Management, which runs the landfill, has taken steps to burn off more odors. The smell has not been troublesome for at least two months, Morgan said.

Spengler said landfill stench is more a nuisance than a health threat. But Board of Supervisors Chairman Joseph Grzeika said the county wants more odor-control efforts.

"We know that there's improvements coming," Grzeika said. "We're not where I want to be."

Staff writer Kelly Hannon contributed to this report.

To reach ROB DAVIS: 540/374-5418 rdavis@freelancestar.com

Date published: 6/3/2004