Toxic Barrels at Kelly to be Removed

... a bit better than just making the toxic landfill a golf course...

The toxic barrels underneath what was once Kelly Air Force Base will be dug up and removed the U.S. Air Force announced in its environmental cleanup plan Wednesday night, News 4 WOAI learned.

In early November, the Air Force will dig up an area about the size of a football field and transport the hazardous waste to a landfill near Corpus Christi, officials said.

The old Kelly golf course that is now part of Lackland Air Force Base in the 1940's was a landfill. Drums were buried there containing a cleaning solvent which contained a toxic substance called TCE, officials said.

“The drums have leaked and have released some of the contents to the soil and surrounding groundwater,” Dr. Ravi Razichandran with the Air Force said.

The site is close to Leon Creek, and there was concern the pollution would migrate into the creek. So Lackland officials built wells that capture and treat contaminated groundwater.

“There's really no impact to the community because the groundwater impact is limited to an area of landfill swells,” Dr. Razichandran said. “It has not gone beyond the property boundaries.”

A community group overseeing the restoration learned Wednesday the barrels will be removed next month. Lackland neighbors who were at the meeting did not appear to be overly concerned.

“I feel completely safe,” neighbor Mary Dunagan said. “I have confidence that Lackland is a good neighbor and they're going to take care of any problems we might have.”

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