MIDDLETOWN | Environmental activists and
residents have collected pitchers of blackened, mucky water from a
6-mile ravine that runs through the city so it can be tested for
pollutants.
About 20 people showed up Saturday for the gathering, sponsored
by the Ohio Sierra Club.
The stream, known as Dicks Creek, runs past an AK Steel plant
that has operated for a century. Signs warn people to stay away, and
activists blame the company for the creeks problems.
AK Steel spokesman Alan McCoy said the company has done nothing
wrong.
AK Steel has, we believe, the best environmental record in not
only the state of Ohio, but the U.S. steel industry by a wide
margin, McCoy said. And we are continuing to vigorously defend
against allegations made by the agencies.
Many other businesses could have polluted the creek, he said.
Sierra Club members said federal and state environmental
protection agencies, both in litigation with AK Steel for
environmental violations, have been slow to respond to their
concerns.
Weve made it pretty clear that we are not going to litigate in
the press, Ohio EPA spokeswoman Kara Allison said.
The accountability issue is a big one, said Susan Knight, an
organizer of Saturdays activities. Who pays for these mistakes?
[From the Dayton
Daily News: 08.05.2002]
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