Timet cleared to move soil from years of contamination

The Clark County Planning Commission approved a zone change, use permit and variance Tuesday that may pave the way for Titanium Metals Corp. in Henderson to clean up years of accumulated contamination.

The approval is the first step in what company officials hope will ultimately lead to state approval of an ambitious plan to move the soil from evaporated ponds on the east side of Boulder Highway to a new landfill on the plant site on the west side of the highway.

The company also plans to build state-of-the-art environmental systems so that the contamination problems, which occurred over the last 55 years in large evaporation ponds near the highway, won't happen again.

Besides state approval, county commissioners need to OK the Timet plans. The zone change and accompanying approvals were on the commissioners' agenda for discussion today.

Representatives of Basic Environmental Co., the environmental engineering company working with Timet, said the zone change, related changes in Timet's disposal methods and movement of contaminated soil will be a change for the better.

Most importantly, the plan would lead to a reduction in the number of acres that are now used for the industrial disposal process, said Robin Bain, BEC director of environmental services.

The buried, contaminated soil on the west side of Boulder Highway could be used for golf courses or other "higher purposes," she said.

A handful of nearby residents attended Tuesday's Planning Commission meeting to protest the Timet plans.

Marvin Robinson of Hanson Street in Henderson said he doesn't trust BEC, a subsidiary of Black Mountain Industrial, which operates the industrial park in which Timet is located.

"I don't trust Timet either," Robinson said. He fears that the changes will lead to more contamination spread over a larger area.

Helen Foley, a consultant who also represented BEC at the Planning Commission meeting, said the commission's approval is part of an 11-year effort to clean up problems at the Timet plant.

She said the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection will likely hold public meetings in Henderson later this month to discuss all options for dealing with the contaminated soil. The zoning change is necessary before Timet can get NDEP approval for the plan, Foley said.

The Planning Commission approved the Timet requests by a 5-0 vote.

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