Chillicothe — Who has been raising awareness of major pollution sites in and around Chillicothe, especially the Wear-Ever groundwater “plume,” and why?
I invited Jason Salley to a long-form interview on his prolific coverage of local pollution concerns. He chose to meet me at Mary Lou Patton Park in the far east side of Chillicothe, right next to the underground “toxic plume” originating from the former Wear-Ever Factory at 1089 Eastern Avenue.
The pool of chemicals in the groundwater has received much coverage in local and Columbus news media in the last several months. Two of the paper mill’s high-capacity wells have been redirecting the plume for decades, but there were concerns that they would be shut down with the closure of the mill, and the plume would be left to flow elsewhere with the water in the “Teays Valley Aquifer.” (The latest report is that the new company that owns the paper mill property will not turn off the pumps.)
I first met Salley when he spoke to Chillicothe Council about gun violence in the city, especially after it affected his family. He remains president of the Scioto Valley chapter of BRADY, “dedicated to addressing gun violence in our community.”
But this year, Salley has been prolific in his coverage of possible health threats from toxins in the Wear-Ever site and others: the old city landfill on Narrows Road, the CSX railyard, the Allied Chemical site at 890 Washington Avenue, the Mead landfill between Belleview Hill and Paint Creek, and others.
He started reporting on the Wear-Ever site even before the April 15th announcement of the closing of the Pixelle paper mill, which started concerns about the mill’s effect on its plume of chemicals. Since then, I have seen many other news media following his lead…but almost always without credit to Salley.
He chose to meet at Mary Lou Patton Park because it is next to the Wear-Ever groundwater plume, which he says includes chemicals that were intentionally burned to quickly dispose of them at the East Palestine, Ohio train crash in February of 2023.
Salley said children have been playing at the park for generations, yet the park has never been tested for pollutants. He pointed out a perennial damp spot beyond the eastern edge of the parking lot…right on the edge of the underground plume of chemicals.
He also pointed out that the park is surrounded by other toxic sites: an old city dump and lime pit near the Wastewater Treatment Plant at the end of Renick Avenue; the site of demolished Allied Chemical on Washington Avenue that had unlined dump pits for liquids; the CSX railyard up the tracks where spills are documented; as well as the Wear-Ever / Howmet Aerospace factory and property that also had unlined dump pits…with parts of the building that he says are 17 million times higher than the EPA safe limit for toxins.
Salley insists that the city needs to do an epidemiological study on health conditions to see any pattern around these sites. He also shared with me recently that “I have a bio-chemist willing to consult with the city pro bono on the toxic sites around the region, including Wear Ever.”
He says Chillicothe is like other “Rust Belt” towns: communities used, abused, and abandoned by corporations…that left their pollution behind. Salley says you must do your own research, and fight for your community.
He spent 35 minutes with me at the park. Hear him in his own words in the below video, split up into three segments. He also spoke in the latest Chillicothe Council session, again on the Wear-Ever pollution, and he has a clip of that address in his Facebook feed.
Salley is a prolific writer / composer, with too many outlets to list. But he says, find his work on Facebook (especially his “Wear-Ever Exposed” page), the “Ohio Atomic Press” online, and his many videos. He says he has created several websites, but is very transparent about his investigative work. The “Introduction” in his Facebook page lists many of his websites and online accounts.
