Mortgage Broker in Goose Creek, SC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is now investigating complaints about a white dust produced by an aluminum plant that has caused complaints and worries for Goose Creek residents.

Alumina dust is a gritty substance people who live near the Mount Holly Century Aluminum Plant say coats vehicles, plants, mailboxes and anything else outside in areas across Goose Creek. It is produced during the smelting process but is not supposed to leave the plant, a problem DHEC is now looking into.

The Mount Holly aluminum smelter has been operating for more than 40 years. But some neighbors say it is recent emissions from the plant that they’re not getting answers about, making them worry about their health.

“It looks like someone has taken baby powder and just shook it all over the cars,” Jackie Davis Pfister, who lives in Goose Creek, says. “It’s gritty. It’s baking into our cars.”

Davis Pfister says this entire process has just been a nightmare and says she’s not the only one who is frustrated. There are multiple posts on Facebook that have garnered hundreds of comments about the same thing.

“It needs to be more addressed than it has been,” Goose Creek resident Marilyn Leegette says. “I wish DHEC would send out some kind of hazard report so people can make themselves educated about what this can do to them.”

DHEC confirmed agents have been to the facility and in the community to gather information as part of their investigation. They say they are working closely with the facility to develop an immediate corrective action plan.

Jonathan Brown, Century Aluminum’s Environmental, Health, and Safety Manager, confirmed that Century believes the emissions may be caused by an unusual failure in the plant’s baghouse. The plant is not 100% sure of the reason for the failure, but are looking at two potential possibilities. One is that a recent change of suppliers for the filters in the baghouse took place, and Century knows that on three occasions a very small portion of the bags failed. The second possibility is recent episodes of high pressure in the bag house.

Brown says Century is working diligently to address these emission issues.

On Monday, Century confirmed they had four “events.” One happened on Sept. 3, two on Sept. 16 and another on Sept. 30. Century says the issue will be fixed by Oct. 17.

But those in the community are worried about their health with some people reporting problems like rashes and difficulty breathing.

“It’s very concerning for me,” Leegette says. “I believe honestly that if there are short-term effects that are showing, there has got to be long-term effects as well.”

“If we could just know what type of air we’re breathing: Is it dangerous to us? I think we just want to know the answer,” Davis Pfister says.

DHEC says alumina dust is not considered a hazardous substance. The particle size of the dust being seen in the community is large and therefore too big to enter human lungs; however, it can still irritate skin, eyes, and the nose, and can be a respiratory irritant after prolonged exposure.

DHEC has also deployed portable air sensors in the area to measure any smaller, breathable particulate matter, called “fine particulate matter.”

DHEC says it’s important to know that the data will represent all particulate matter in the area, not just from a single source or single facility. There can be many different sources of particulate matter emissions within an area. The data from these sensors will help the agency identify any air quality trends in the community.

After an inquiry into the issue, the city of Goose Creek set up a town hall meeting with Century Aluminum and DHEC representatives for Monday at 6 p.m. at City Hall. Mayor Greg Habib will moderate this discussion, which will include questions from attendees. Experts in toxicology, air quality and public health from DHEC will join Century Aluminum leaders who will discuss the issue of excess emissions at the plant, and the plan to fix this problem.

Century says they have set up a website where residents should report their personal situation. They can also call a hotline number at 312-696-3131.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Century Aluminum addresses alumina dust concerns in Goose Creek: Promises resolution in 10 days. Community town hall held Oct. 9, 2023. (WCIV)

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCIV) — People who live in Goose Creek have been complaining for weeks about a white powder-like substance in the air- identified as alumina dust.

They said it’s been covering their cars and homes, and even making it hard to breathe.

Monday night, Goose Creek residents heard from health and environmental experts for the first time about the issue, and their plan to fix it.

They were also able to ask representatives from Century Aluminum and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) questions

Some told News 4 before the meeting started they were just looking for transparency.

“First, we’re sorry. I understand your concerns and frustrations, but we also appreciate your patience. We will fix this issue,” said Dennis Harbath, the plant manager at Century Aluminum.

Century Aluminum said the release of alumina dust in Goose Creek first happened because of accelerated bag failures. They said they’re replacing the failed bags and expect their action plan to take 10 days to solve the problem.

But people who live in the area are still concerned.

“I’m exhausted all the time, I get headaches, you know, my eyes burn. It’s just been a total nightmare,” said Jackie Davis Pfister.

Pfister lives in Goose Creek, and people like her who have preexisting conditions like asthma are worried about long-term effects.

“Before I never really had to use my inhaler except for when I was sick or overexerted myself, that was the only time I used it, but now it’s just a regular basis, three to five times [per day],” she said.

DHEC said there is a certain type of aluminum oxide particles they’re keeping their eye on.

“What we were most concerned about is actually the smaller particles that you could actually breathe in and actually get into your lungs. So, for that reason we did put out some air sensors,” said Rhonda Thompson, the Bureau of Air Quality chief for DHEC.

But she said the readings from their sensors have been very low so far.

Other questions came from the crowd: Why didn’t the plant shut down when the leak first happened? And, how will aluminum oxide affect animals, and not just people?

But Monday’s experts said they couldn’t answer some of those questions, leaving many frustrated.

Statistics from the DHEC air sensors and the area’s current air quality can be found on DHEC's website.

People can also go to mthollyupdates.com for more information from Century Aluminum, including how the plant is working to solve this issue.

GOOSE CREEK — The Carnes Crossroads community is going to take “from farm to table” literally as it adds a farm to its amenities.

With the addition of an 11-acre farm, Carnes Crossroads will turn into an agrihood — a community or neighborhood that integrates agriculture.

Gerrit Albert, division president of South Carolina and Georgia for Freehold Communities — the developer of Carnes Crossroads — said Freehold has been learning how to make a farm “part of the DNA of the community.” He said his company first did this in 2017 with a community in Florida called Arden, where they incorporated a 5-acre farm.

Carnes Crossroads will have a farm twice as large as Arden’s, as it’s a fast-growing community. It currently has 1,000 houses, but Goose Creek spokesman Frank Johnson previously told The Post and Courier another 300 are expected to be built each year. Once complete, Carnes Crossroads will have just under 5,000 houses, he said.

While Freehold is not the first group to incorporate agriculture in its planning, Tripp Eldridge — the agrihood expert for Carnes Crossroads — said the company has differentiated itself by being the first to create an agrihood where residents of the community can receive a share of their harvest.

In addition to the farm, a barn will be built where residents can pick up their share of crops. Albert said the barn will include for sale other local proprietor items like honey. If people want to buy more produce after collecting their share, they can do so in the barn.

Eldridge said 11 acres of farmland will be divided into two locations. The “main farm” will be centrally located in the community, and it will be more experiential with “you pick” crops like blueberries, blackberries and figs, as well as orchard fruit trees.

Just down the road will be a larger production farm mostly featuring field crops. Eldridge said vegetable production will be a big focus there.

The agrihood will have a head farmer and opportunities for residents to volunteer, helping to tend to the farm, Eldridge said.

Albert said the concept promotes good health in several ways. It’s meant to be sustainable and to produce organic vegetables. Perhaps more importantly, he said, is that it can build human connections and social cohesion, helping to ensure the community’s longevity.

“You can’t escape connecting with people, because when you go to the barn you’re interacting with the farmers and you interact with other property owners,” Albert said.

Eldridge said residents can expect to pick up several different kinds of fruits, vegetables and herbs. Some of these crops include beets, radishes, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, basil, parsley, thyme, blueberries and blackberries.

The farm and its barn aren’t the only features being constructed. Several other amenities planned for the community include a pool, wellness center, playground and lake house that will serve as an event venue and gathering space.

Mayor Greg Habib said he’s excited for this unique and inspiring addition to the Carnes Crossroads community.

“The vision that brought this addition to Carnes Crossroads aligns with the values of Goose Creek, and our focus on sustainability and quality of life,” Habib said. “The importance of creating a community that brings people together and enhances their overall well-being cannot be overstated. That’s what we’re about in Goose Creek.”

The Carnes Crossroads community broke ground on Oct. 25, and Albert hopes for the farm and barn to be open by fall 2024, with the rest of the amenities available in the spring of 2025.

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) - Homeowners in a Goose Creek neighborhood are looking for a solution to the flooding that affects their properties every time it rains.

Kristen Gilliam has lived in the Boulder Bluff Neighborhood in Goose Creek for about 15 years. She has a home around the corner from her parents and they both see their properties fill up with sitting water each time it rains. It’s not just the yards threateningly close to their homes; she says it’s also the streets.

“It doesn’t even have to be heavy rain. It does get very bad in some areas, especially down one of the roads here. Water Oak Drive and Lucy Drive itself. They do tend to flood to where people have to literally turn around and take another route. The neighborhood tends to shut down,” Gilliam says.

She says the flooding is affecting some of the homes, and she knows people who are moving out and say the water is a big reason why.

“Like on this road alone, we actually have a bunch of vacant homes right now because they’ve left. A lot of people have had damages happen in the past year. Like my next next-door neighbor, they’re gone. A couple of other owners have just left their homes,” Gilliam says.

A road over in Boulder Bluff, Leslie Powell and her family have lived in their house for three years.

“The first time that we noticed the flooding was like, maybe a month after we moved in. We were in the house hanging out and then looked out the window and our whole yard was underwater. And we talked to our neighbors and they said the flooding hadn’t been that bad since Hugo and since then three years ago, it happens throughout the summer. It happens every couple of weeks or so,” Powell says.

She says their property is a little downhill and dips down from the road so their house is built up from the ground. But, they still have issues with water getting into their crawl space and water getting into their cars.

“We have to move the cars there’s been damage under our house and water has gotten into our cars before when we’ve been out of town. And so it’s been going on for at least three years now,” Powell says.

The women say the neighbors talk amongst themselves and some have individually tried calling the city and county to get answers. But so far, they haven’t been able to get in contact with the right person, and say they feel bounced around with no answers.

“There’s clearly a bigger issue that needs to be addressed and I don’t know what that is. So I don’t know the right questions to ask,” Powell says.

Gilliam acknowledges that making sure drains are clear from trash or tree trimmings is the responsibility of the neighbors.

“I know the neighborhood has a lot of debris and trash and it is our responsibility to also clean up the neighborhood. But I believe is the county or the city, whatever you live in I feel like it’s their responsibility to make sure that our trenches or ditches are actually trenched out and they’re not being built up with a bunch of debris,” Gilliam says.

The city of Goose Creek directed concerns for this area to the Berkeley County Stormwater Department. Berkeley County Stormwater Department says they are looking into the service history and plans for the neighborhood and will provide them when available.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCIV) — It's alumnia dust, and it's becoming a nuisance in Goose Creek.

People who live near the Century Aluminum Plant say the particles are covering cars and raising concerns over possible health issues.

"You can actually pick up piles of it, and that's probably not a good thing," Nat Miranda said.

Goose Creek residents grapple with alumina dust from local aluminum plant (WCIV)

Read more: White dust emitted into Goose Creek from Century Aluminum plant; officials respond.

Miranda said this dust covering his car had been a problem for weeks.

"I mean, they've been a great neighbor for years now," Miranda said. "They need to take some steps to address it and make sure that we feel comfortable with them around still."

Goose Creek Mayor Greg Habib said he's been in contact with the plant. He explained the problem is with the Century's baghouse. And DHEC tells him the dust isn't a health issue.

"DHEC does not see this as a public health issue," Habib said. "There's a big difference between exposure and chronic exposure. Chronic exposure is constant exposure over a long period of time, and no one is experiencing that at this point."

Mayor Habib said he's been in contact with state leaders discussing the issue.

"The governor's office reported back to me what they learned," he said. "DHEC is in the area today and tomorrow with air quality testing measures to measure and see what exactly what the air quality issues are."

Read more: Attorney General Alan Wilson announces 26th Annual Silent Witness Ceremony.

As for a timeline to get the issue fixed, it won't take more than a few weeks.

"Now as they have gained more information over the last couple of days, they feel like they have a solution that hopefully won't take more than a week or two," he said. "I know that they are working diligently to get it fixed as fast as they can."

In the meantime, both parties said they want to see transparency.

"They told the regulators when it happened," Miranda said. "What about telling the community? I mean, obviously, it's something that we can see, so how about you say, Hey, we had a problem."

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Habib added: "People wanna see transparency. and we continue to work to get that. I think that we have to figure out as a, as a governmental agency, d e C and us and Century Aluminum as a corporate entity, um, to communicate maybe a little bit faster than we have, um, about what the issues are."