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Mayor flags elevated benzene in Blockhouse Valley monitoring wells; aerator maintenance stepped up
Summary
The mayor told commissioners that county monitoring wells at the former Blockhouse Valley landfill show elevated benzene and that a solar-powered aerator’s charger had been impaired by trees; county staff increased inspection frequency and will continue long-term testing under TDEC oversight.
Mayor Terry Frank briefed the Board on the annual report for the former Anderson County Blockhouse Valley landfill and a TDEC review noting elevated benzene in groundwater monitoring wells and a higher manganese concentration at a pond outfall.
Frank said monitoring wells C02R and C03R showed benzene above the remedial action objective in the latest sampling and explained the county’s efforts to ensure the pond aerator operated properly. He described troubleshooting steps: an electrician inspected the unit, crews cut trees that were shading the solar panels and preventing charging, and UES (the environmental contractor) is monitoring the system. “We finally ended up having to do some, tree work and remove a lot of trees around the area,” Frank said; staffer Jeff Trebacca then began weekly video checks that have moved to monthly inspections after the repair work.
Commissioner Capitchel asked specific technical questions about test methods, who selected sampling locations and whether the testing followed national best practices; Frank offered to invite UES to speak at a future meeting or to come to the operations committee for more detailed technical discussion. The mayor said the county remains under a long-term remediation work plan and any change in testing or sampling locations would require TDEC approval.
Separately, Frank summarized public-health data included in the packet: drug-related deaths in Anderson County fell from 53 in 2024 to 46 in 2025 and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl remain a leading contributor to overdose deaths.
Next steps: commissioners asked staff to invite UES or the technical contractor to a future meeting to walk through methods, sampling locations and the remedial work plan.
