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State officials approve next phase of Winston Weaver site cleanup plan

A chemical fire broke out at the Winston Weaver fertilizer plant in Winston-Salem on January 31, 2022. Paul Garber/WFDD

North Carolina environmental regulators recently approved the next step in the cleanup process at the former Weaver fertilizer plant in Winston-Salem. More testing will soon take place.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality recently approved a remedial investigation work plan for the Winston Weaver site.

Montrose Engineering and Geology submitted the report on behalf of the plant.

During a preliminary assessment in May, Montrose says it observed hazardous waste generated at the site including waste fluids from the demolition of the production building. The report says paints and flammable liquids are among the hazardous waste fluids onsite.

Stan Meiburg is a former acting deputy administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency and heads the graduate program in sustainability at Wake Forest University. He says the test results will help determine if more remediation is needed.

“This is a standard part of a process, so they finished up the removal of the debris and now they are proceeding to the next step of looking at what may be residual on the site that can be cleaned up –so the site can be used for future use," says Meiburg.

Montrose will collect hundreds of soil and groundwater samples to assess the risk for runoff contamination. It will also install five underground wells to monitor levels of ammonia, nitrates, and other substances.

The company estimates that it will take around 17 weeks to conduct the testing and issue its findings. 

A fire at the Winston-Weaver fertilizer plant broke out on January 31, 2022. It lasted for days, and resulted in the evacuation of more than 6,000 residents.

Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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