The Clermont County Commissioners are directing county agencies to conduct air and water quality testing at the site of the former Zimmer coal-fired power plant in Washington Township and the village of Moscow because of potential health concerns and residents’ complaints of strong odors.
During the member comment period of the Sept. 28 regular commissioners’ meeting, Clermont County Commissioner David Painter shared that the residents have complained about strong smells of hydrogen sulfide.
Painter explained that the site is currently being used to store waste generated when the power plant produced electricity.
“This particular material is high in hydrogen sulfide,” Painter said, adding, “The landfill at Zimmer is open, and they are moving material from Miami Fort landfill.”
He said that the material that they hauled from Miami Fort is not a high hydrogen sulfide material.
“The issue comes from the material that’s actually stored on site and the infiltration of water that runs to a collection pond, and that pond gives off hydrogen sulfide that can be smelled around the area. And that particular gas is very pungent and can irritate your throat, and the residents complain heavily about that.”
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency have run tests in the area, and their reports show elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide in the air and the water. However, none of the levels were found to be a health hazard.
Painter shared that multiple studies across the United States show that low-level hydrogen sulfide in areas can impact peoples’ health.
Notably, in the evenings, when barometric pressures change, the smell becomes more concentrated, and residents can’t even open their windows, Painter explained.
There is reason to think, Painter went on, that the operators at the plant are notified in advance when the air and water quality testing will take place, allowing for hydrogen sulfide inducing activities to be subsided.
For this reason, multiple county agencies are coordinating on a response, including the water quality and air quality divisions of the County Water Resources Department, along with the Clermont County Board of Health.
“We need to know what’s in the water around this plant, and we need to know what’s in the air, and the only way that we are going to be able to find that out is by commissioning some independent testing,” Painter said. “We’re going to need some push by the commissioners to make that happen and ensure that the people that live in Washington Township are not being exposed to a hazardous environment.”