I sent the content below to State Senator Florence Shapiro who is sponsoring a bill to limit the lead polution for the Exide lead plant in Frisco.
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Exide Lead is probably polluting our North Texas water supply and contaminating fish in Elm Fork and East Forks of the Trinity Lakes. This includes Lakes Ray Roberts and Lewisville on the Elm Fork plus Lakes Lavon and Ray Hubbard on the East Fork.

Thank you for taking action on the 'air pollution'.
But, what about the water pollution of creeks and streams?

The downtown Frisco Exide lead plant is on a creek that flows just 5 miles into Lake Lewisville.
Children and pregnant women cannot eat fish contaminated with lead.
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To contact Senator Shapiro:
http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members/dist8/dist8.htm#Form

The battery plant is tested on a regular basis and is in compliance with EPA. The battery plant was there first, now home owners build their homes around it and want to shut it down. That is realy smart. Nobody wants industry around there big fancy house, they want it shut down just like the oil drilling around Arlington, but whine about the high priced gas we buy from the rag heads. Here is the problem--You tree huggers get exide shut down, then they will out source their batteries to be built in China where there are no air regulations,but you forgot that the earth is round and spinning 1000's mph and we have to breath that polluted air from China and if you would have let things alone the batteries would be built here and employee alot of people and the air would be monitored by EPA. YOU TREE HUGGERS ARE THE ONES THAT NEED TO MOVE and let the USA manufactor goods again and put us back to work. The enviromentalist are the ones doing the poluting by causing USA companies to have their goods made in China.

I haven't seen a single consumsion warning for lead contanimation in our local lakes.

Here's the current list of advisories from TPWD.
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/seafood/Survey.shtm#Bans

I love it when people try and start a panic.

Agreed, lets shut it down and then gripe about not having jobs! I bet fisherman put more lead jig heads in the water then that plant does, STOP FISHING ANYONE!!!

RONC,

Good question...we know that what is in the air often winds up concentrated in the lakes and streams. Am sending the senator inquiry email as you suggested.

Looks like the plant presently complies with EPA only because they realized they weren't going to be able to comply, and requested and were given a temporary NONCONTAINMENT area waiver (unil 2016) which unfortunatly includes much of the nearby population and streams.. Regardless of who was there 1st, the state, city and local community is just apparently trying to get them to comply with the current standards & upgrade their facility. If Texas waited until the lead had accumulated and concentrated in the distant fish populations forcing a consumption advisory, it would be too late to correct for an element with poisoning properties like lead..

I'm pretty sure the EPA and other environ watchdogs have a handle on it. On the other hand, we've seen what happens when we let componies police themselves. It's not a pretty picture. Cooperation is the key.

Compliance????....hmmmmmmm.....ya know every time there is an environmental challenge now its because of the tree huggers! No where near a tree hugger here, but if its polluting isn't it up to conversationists like ourselves to challenge? Why should we accept the pollution of our rivers, streams and lakes? I fish those, walk those and enjoy them. I can't have an issue because then I m an extremist? If jobs are being created that pollute my world, then they don't need to be jobs in my opinion. Regarding your argument about breathing the air of a world that is spinning 1000mph, well we'll just go with you were drunk or trying to make a point etc. Good rant tho'.

This conservationist says freakin' comply!!!!!

I don't think we should accept the pollution of our rivers and streams, BUT DO WE HAVE PROOF THAT OUR STREAMS AND RIVERS ARE BEING POLLUTED HERE??

If there's no proof, then let's not penalize any industry. Environmentalists must be responsible too, and that's not always the case. Shuttering an industry, and losing those jobs, just because someone wants the land for some other use or becuse someone perceives there is a polluting problem should be a crime as serious as polluting.

tests reveal lead content in people's blood levels in the immediate area to be highly elevated... hmmm.... proof is undeniable.

nm

nm ??? New Mexico?, Nieman-Marcus?, Nautical Mile?

Hey Pitcher,
Did you get a reply from Senator Shapiro?

nevermind/no message

Not necessarily. The question was "is the battery plant polluting local lakes." No one has shown any elevated levels of lead in the lakes in question. Show us the proof.

Now, for the humans. What percantage of the total population in that area have elevated lead levels. And, have those that have elevated lead levels ever worked at the plant. And is the percentage of those with elevated levels measurably higher than those in the general population.

I like to see all of the data before coming to a firm conclusion. Perhaps there is a problem here. But, lets see all of the data, not just some selective unrepesentative and undocumented numbers pulled from who knows where.

My name is Paul O'Bier and I worked there for 23 years.

The EPA has monitors set up on all sides of the plant to gather data. The new NAAQS (National Ambien Air Quality Standard) that came out has reduced the allowable immission by 10 fold and they are working towards achieving the new level.

Exide announced last week at an open meeting their committment to spend 15 million over the next 1 1/2 years to get in to full compliance with the new standard.

As far as the water goes it is treated on-site and is sampled by the regulators and is checked before it is ever released. As far as the blood lead levels there has been an open door policy for residents to have their levels checked and as far as I know there has been no one with an elevated blood lead level that has been checked, this too was announced at the meeting last week.

As far as this bill that was trying to get slid under the door without anyone knowing it, to me it sounds like all they are trying to do is close a plant down that has been there since 1964 and has been a good corporate citizen to Frisco. They have allowed the fire department to provide training on their property for years, also bought them a fire truck and many other large donations throughout the city and to the schools.

People need to get all the facts before posting things like this and getting people all stirred up. The Frisco plant is the only one in Texas and it recycles approximately 6.5 million batteries a year which is about what the whole state of Texas spends. Battery recycling is the top recycle above all other products at a rate of about 98% and the next closest product being alluminum cans at a rate of approximately 55%. So without these types of plants where do you want us to put these batteries? on your lawns, in your ditches, in your streams, in your ponds & lakes....I think not!

So if you have any questions please feel free to shoot back at me.