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Exide to host second public meeting next week (updated)

Exide's Frisco lead-acid battery recycling plant is currently in the process of being decontaminated and demolished. Photo by Kelsey Kruzich.

By Anthony Tosie, atosie@starlocalnews.com, @anthonytosie on Twitter

Published: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 12:21 PM CST
Editor's Note: This story was originally published 3:18 p.m. Jan. 28. It has been updated to include new information.

Exide Technologies will host its second public information meeting regarding the decontamination and demolition of its Frisco lead-acid battery recycling plant 7 p.m. Feb. 6.

The meeting will be held at the Frisco Heritage Center's depot, 6499 Page St. No topic for the meeting was announced, although the company has released information on its plan to retreat hazardous waste in its on-site landfill in recent weeks.

At the first public meeting, held Dec. 12, residents took issue with the fact that information hadn't yet been released about what would happen to the landfill.

"My main concern is what's going in the landfill," said a resident who asked not to be identified at the Dec. 12 meeting. "What is the volume of the landfill? How much [waste] is in the landfill? Are you going to share that information at a later date?"

Demolition of Exide's Frisco plant is expected to be complete by March 1. After demolition is finished, the company will work to clean the land purchased by the city of Frisco and meet regulatory agency requirements.

In addition to the Feb. 6 meeting, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality held a meeting 9:30 a.m. Jan. 30 to address fines imposed against Exide at its Frisco plant.

The TCEQ has imposed $592,868 in total fines against Exide for 12 environmental violations at the plant that took place from 2011 to 2012. Exide was required to complete corrective actions in addition to paying the fines.

Among the violations Exide is said to have made at the plant include "failing to prevent the unauthorized discharge or imminent threat of discharge of industrial hazardous waste" into state water and failing to meet treatment standards for "hazardous waste that is restricted from land disposal."

At the meeting, the TCEQ approved the fines and other requirements associated with the agreement it made with Exide as a result of the fines. As a result, Exide will have to retreat hazardous waste in its on-site landfill until laboratory analysis determines it's compliant with regulatory levels.


Exide had previously promised on its website that it would re-treat the materials in the landfill.

Frisco residents and representatives from Frisco Unleaded, a group that was founded in 2011 to get the plant closed, registered as interested third parties for the TCEQ's meeting.

TCEQ officials are monitoring the decontamination of the Exide plant and will also monitor the impending remediation of the land surrounding the plant.



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