Yesterday my husband and I took a drive along the back of Vought and the Dallas Naval Air Station down 14th St in Grand Prairie where the TCE plume is located, and then down Skyline toward Cottonwood Bay. This is what we found:
-a chain link fence as a boundary to Vought property, but no fence sealing off Cottonwood Bay, no warning signs of any kind. Just a wooded area screening off part of the view of Cottonwood Bay.
-a creek extending under a roadway where kids could slide down the creekbed and actually get into the Cottonwood Bay run-off/water and no warning signs.
-cleared land/grass beside a TXU transformer where kids could step over a chain and walk down to the bay/Mt Creek Lake, no warning signs about the lake.
-new apartments and two new housing developments, new schools in the TCE plume area; new homes are being built right on Mt Creek Lake with "seaside"/"harbor breeze"-type names; no evidence of any concern about contaminated water, soil, air.
-culverts and creeks dipping twenty feet below the usual ground elevation where TCE is supposedly underground. (Area is generally hilly, but low areas warrant investigation, I think.)
Overall, we saw much new construction and development in an area where groundwater is ruined and we believed digging and development would not be allowed.
In months past, when I asked an EPA manager about a fence protecting kids from Cottonwood Bay, he said, "I'm not saying a kid couldn't get over or under the fence." And, "It's hard to see fences on Google Earth!"
Is it ever-especially when they're not there-at least, not where my husband I could see one.
If I had not believed a fence was there, believe me, I would have tried to see that area long ago. And frankly, I was greatly surprised the whole area was not sealed off and guarded by Vought. I did not think I could get close to it!
At this point, all I can say is I'm not a scientist, surveyor, or EPA expert-obviously. But I am a shocked-even alarmed-citizen and will be calling EPA asking WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?
We read this Dallas NAS/NWIRP military base area is a SUPERFUND site, yet kids can ride their bikes right up to it and walk through some trees or hop a chain to possibly get in? (If a kid could climb a chain link fence, they could enter Vought!)
Something isn't right-and, friends, this has been going on at least twelve years-actually much longer factoring in the seventy years the bases have been in operating in some aircraft-military capacity.
Update: Waiting for complete info from EPA, I'm wondering if I'm missing something...Is this not a Superfund site? Has so much time passed that the problems don't matter any more? did they ever matter?
I studied a military Superfund site in Colorado today, and EPA's agreement with the state of Colorado clearly stated that public access was to be strictly cut off, which was the rationale for considering the site reasonably "safe." Of course, it's not safe-it's an arsenal with nerve gas in soil and stream beds, groundwater, etc.; but at least only wildlife and certain workers can land there. In contrast, here in Texas we find our toxic site with an open back door. The more I learn about this, the more unbelievable it seems. UPDATE: Apparently the Navy has owned this land by the bay for UNDER A YEAR-having just bought it from TXU! But, the Navy has polluted the bay for the last 50 years and is trying to auction off the "Cottonwood Bay area." UPDATE: Navy contractors contaminated the land alongside the bay (where I think a sturdy fence should be...) so the Navy bought the land from TXU and will try to sell it. I'm thinking "hot potato" - wonder who would buy this! Someone interested in a nice, already ruined lakeside place, to do industrial work? Please, no fishing, swimming, or summertime family picnics!
Location: Dallas, Texas Topics: Dallas Naval Air Station, NWIRP, Mountain Creek Lake, oil and gas drilling, Oak Cliff industry and environment. WHY DOES OAK CLIFF HAVE TWICE THE BREAST CANCER RATE COMPARED TO THE REST OF TEXAS?
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FROM THE AIR!

Dallas Naval Air Station on MCL
B24 Bomber-1942- from DALLAS NAS


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Photos are from US Navy, Historical "Oak Cliff" web-site, Lake Cliff Park web-site, and Rose Mary Rumbley's lovely "Oak Cliff Tours" website, the Dallas Observer (Mt Creek Lake) and WFAA news. Thanks to all who promote and support Oak Cliff with such excellence, beauty, and affection.
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