State Wants Army To Do More Near Fort Gillem

But state officials say the Army has only agreed to put in temporary systems. They say the units should be permanent and should be in at least 46 homes, because those houses tested positive for elevated levels of chemicals like trimethlybenzene and trichloroethylene. Bert Langley is the Director of Compliance for the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. He says the Army’s efforts are a start but are nowhere near what the Army agreed to in a work plan and what the state expects, “We’ve been very disappointed the Army hasn’t worked quickly and efficiently to get these homes remediated and get these people’s environment in a more safe condition.”

The Army says it selected the homes after evaluating more than 100 soil vapor samples. The Army previously installed a permanent air ventilation system in a day care center near Fort Gillem.

In a statement about the testing the Army says, “There are no additional homes or businesses being considered for mitigation at this time but the Army will continue to evaluate sampling results and will continue to take action when results indicate that there is a potential link between sub-standard indoor air quality and past Army activities at Fort Gillem.”

The Army also told WABE ”the air ventilation systems are filtration units which can stay in the homes indefinitely, but will remain at least until the conclusion of the ongoing investigation.”

A new round of air testing near the former Army base starts this week.