Georgia’s toxic sites await cleanup as funds are diverted

ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia has more than 500 hazardous sites in need of costly cleanup, but an analysis of state spending shows that it routinely shorts the trust fund that’s supposed to pay for them.

A WSB-TV analysis of state budget figures shows that less than half of the $14.5 million in fees the state collects on average for hazardous waste cleanup annually is spent on that need. The rest goes into Georgia’s general fund for other purposes.

There are 528 sites on Georgia’s cleanup list, ranging from closed dry-cleaning businesses to old landfills.

The trust fund was created in the 1990s to clean sites deemed hazardous by the state, but money collected first goes to the state’s general fund. Then, lawmakers appropriate how much of the money goes toward cleanup each year.

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CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – So we went digging to see which hazardous waste sites are on the state list for northwest Georgia.

Here is what we found.

Catoosa Co.: Former Dixie/Candlewick Hurst Yarn Mill
Chattooga Co.: Penn Bridge Rd Ph 1 (SL)
Dade Co.: Polymer Specialties, Inc.
Fannin Co.: Fannin County Landfill
Murray Co.: US 411 Westside MSWLF
Walker Co.: Shaver’s Farm
Walker Co.: Mathis Brothers – South Marbletop Road Landfill – NPL Site
Walker Co.: Coats American, Inc.
Walker Co.: Walker County Marble Top Road MSWL
Whitfield Co.: Dow Chemical – Dalton Site
Whitfield Co.: Lyndal Chemical (aka Chemical Processing of Georgia)
Whitfield Co.: Polychem, LTD
Whitfield Co.: AMC International, Inc
Whitfield Co.: Rockyface-Westside Municipal Solid Waste Landfill
Whitfield Co.: Whitfield Co. / Dalton – Old Dixie HWY Phases 2, 4 and 5 MSWLF
Whitfield Co.: W.F. Taylor Co. Inc.