The story below appeared in the Charleston (WV) Daily Mail on Tuesday, October 21, 2003.

Agency discovers buried waste dump in Chauncey

The state Department of Environmental Protection has found 300 buried metal drums and one underground storage tank in a Logan County community where residents suspect hazardous waste is responsible for a more than 100 cases of cancer.

Mike Dorsey, head of DEP's Office of Waste Management, said the state agency discovered the drums while helping the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency investigate Chauncey residents' complaints about possible dumping of hazardous or nuclear waste.

The EPA took soil samples that revealed some pollution around a mining site, but Dorsey said the waste at the drum dump is more consistent with an old service station.

"My guess is that you're going to find gasoline-type stuff," he said.

The DEP has sent several samples off for testing to determine the nature of the residue found in the drums as well as about two-inches of waste in the bottom of the 1,000-gallon tank.

David Farley, an inspector with the state Office of Waste Management, said the one-acre site will be cleaned up by a certified contractor because gasoline is considered a hazardous waste.

"I've seen a lot of petroleum contamination and this appears to be normal, but we will be taking samples to confirm the safety of the soil," he said.

Dorsey said the agency hasn't cited the landowner, who lives in Virginia Beach, for any violations because the drums and tank apparently were buried before the current owner inherited the property from a family member.

Marshall University student Heather Morehead helped the DEP find the tanks using a ground-penetrating radar and a global positioning system.