updated November 17, 2006

• Final Report from DENR Tests of Soil, Water and Air Following EQ Fire (11/17)
• County, State Provide Citizen Info on EQ Site (10/20)
• Town Welcomes State Plan for Environmental Testing (10/20)
• Mayor Weatherly's Letter to Governernor Easley (10/18)

Final Report from DENR Tests of Soil, Water and Air Following EQ Fire

November 17 , 2006

• Environmental Tests Show No Contamination from EQ Fire
• EQ Sample Results Report
• Exterior Sampling Report
• Indoor Results Report

For more information about these reports, please contact:

County, State Provide Citizen Info on EQ Site

For Immediate Release October 20, 2006

The Wake County departments of Environmental Services and Human Services are working with the North Carolina departments of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Health and Human Services (DHHS) to provide a way for citizens to get updated information on the situation at the Environmental Quality (EQ) facility in Apex.

All human or environmental health-related questions from Apex residents or businesses should be directed to Wake County at 919-250-4516. Also, the DENR divisions of Public Health, Water Quality, Air Quality and Waste Management are posting up-to-date results on the status of on- and off-site cleanup and assessment activities at www.enr.state.nc.us/html/apex.html.

Officials from the Town of Apex and Wake County met with public health officials from DENR and DHHS earlier this week to discuss and coordinate the process for continued environmental sampling and monitoring that is planned in and around the site of the EQ facility fire.

Town Welcomes State Plan for Environmental Testing

For Immediate Release October 20, 2006

Mayor Keith H. Weatherly expressed his appreciation on Friday October 20th to State officials who have responded quickly to his Wednesday October 18th letter to Governor Michael F. Easley calling for “extensive testing of water, air, and soils” in the Apex community by “an independent entity such as the State.”  Mayor Weatherly’s letter was hand-delivered to the Governor’s Mansion by a uniformed Apex police officer on Wednesday evening.  The Mayor’s letter explained that such a State response was necessary to allay the “concerns within our community regarding what dangerous materials may have been deposited” by the recent chemical fire at the Environmental Quality plant.

On Friday morning, October 20th, in a press release from the NC Department of Environment & Natural Resources, Secretary William G. Ross, Jr., confirmed that a “new round” of extensive environmental testing would be conducted both near and far from the EQ site.  The testing plan is to include both exterior and interior wipe samples of exposed surfaces along with extensive soil sampling.  Secretary Ross indicated that the Division of Air Quality would test exterior locations for exposure of metals, total cyanides, and semi-volatiles, the Division of Waste Management would test soils for organic compounds, PCBs, and several inorganic compounds such as beryllium, manganese, and cyanide, and the Division of Public Health would sample inside homes and buildings for these same substances.  In a subsequent press release from the Wake County Departments of Environmental Services and Human Services, it was requested that all environmental health-related questions from Apex residents or businesses be directed to (919) 250-4516.

In his Friday morning comments, Mayor Weatherly said “we are so grateful and relieved that the Governor and these State and County agencies have formulated a coordinated plan of attack which will comprehensively answer the most pressing question within the Apex community regarding whether we have, or have not, been exposed to dangerous materials that have caused or will cause damage to our health or our property”.  Mayor Weatherly continued that “this coordinated plan announced today by Secretary Ross is certainly the right step towards providing the Apex community with the assurance that the State of North Carolina is focusing all of their considerable resources to protect the public’s health and safety.”