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Army Corps testing finds elevated metals in Pea Creek, pausing dam removal work
Summary
An Army Corps phase‑2 environmental assessment detected elevated levels of heavy metals at multiple Pea Creek testing sites, officials said; Corps work to remove a low‑head dam is paused while the town, Corps, EPA and DEQ evaluate remediation needs and funding options.
Austin Painter, the town’s project manager, told the Pulaski Town Council that a phase‑2 environmental site assessment on Pea Creek showed elevated concentrations of heavy metals at five sampled locations, with contaminant levels increasing downstream near former industrial sites. “The results were not what we were hoping,” Painter said, adding that highlighted values in the report exceed Corps thresholds used to proceed with dam‑removal work.
Painter said the Army Corps has paused recommendations and funding for removing the low‑head dam until hazardous materials are addressed and removed. Town staff are now coordinating with the Army Corps, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assess the severity of the findings and determine next steps. “This is going to be a major project,” Painter said, noting it will require consultants and extensive interagency coordination.
Council members and staff discussed the distinction between contaminants in soil versus surface water, and Painter emphasized that the town’s water‑filtration plant currently tests effluent and that the treated water meets health department standards. He singled out barium as one metal above thresholds in surface‑water sampling near the town’s raw‑water intake and noted traces of arsenic consistent with local geology.
Town officials said they will press the Corps and regulators on how thresholds were set and whether naturally occurring geology was adequately considered. Painter described possible funding sources including EPA and DEQ programs, and said the town would pursue all available grants while assessing remediation scope.
The Corps’ pause means removal of the low‑head dam is temporarily on hold until contamination hazards are evaluated and addressed; Painter said the town will keep the council informed as it pursues regulatory guidance, remediation options and potential grants. The council did not take a vote on the project during the meeting.
