The former HoltraChem plant in Orrington released mercury that could wreak more havoc on the area's fishery.
For the opponents of the Searsport dredge project, mercury contamination is the big worry. Those concerns deepened in February when the Maine Department of Marine Resources closed seven square miles to lobster and crab fishing after unsafe levels of mercury were found in the lobsters and crabs caught there.
The area is upriver from Searsport and closer to the source of the pollution, the former HoltraChem plant in Orrington. Until it stopped operating 14 years ago, the plant used mercury in a process to create chemicals for the pulp and paper industry. For years, the company dumped waste directly into the river and later buried the waste in landfills near the plant.
Considering the level of contamination in the river, the Army Corps of Engineers needs to be thorough in the way it tests and analyzes the sediment in the area targeted for dredging, says Kevin Yeager, a sediment geologist who is the federal court-appointed sediment expert for an ongoing lawsuit related to the HoltraChem plant.
"The Army Corps of Engineers is dealing with a system that is very well documented to be polluted with some really nasty stuff," says Yeager, an associate professor at the University of Kentucky. "You don't want to do something that is good for commerce but has a negative impact on the lobster fishery." To date, however, all the sediment testing for the dredging project has failed to comply with federal guidelines for such tests, he says, and the Army Corps of Engineers has combined the data in a way that dilutes the results.
Yeager examined the agency's data and concluded in a July 29 report that the sediment in the area to be dredged is "quite contaminated" with mercury and heavy metals. He says more complete testing will likely find greater levels of contamination. The report was funded by groups opposing the project, including Friends of Penobscot Bay, the Sierra Club the Maine Lobstering Union.
The area proposed to be dredged was tested for contaminants in 2008. Tim Dugan, a spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers, says the agency followed the testing protocol mandated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. He says the results of the tests show the sediment is suitable for ocean disposal in sites off Islesboro and Rockland.
He says federal law prohibits dumping sediment in an area that would increase the level of contamination at the site.
"If it's not suitable, it can't be put there," he says.
Recent revelations about the level of mercury contamination upriver means more samples need to be taken for the dredging project, particularly from areas not examined in 2008, such as the southern end of the dredging area, says Robert Vining, a former Army Corps of Engineers official now working as consultant for Islesboro Island Trust.
While the Sears Island causeway appears to direct the flows of the Penobscot River to the east of the harbor, he says, tidal circulation could have brought sediment into the dredging area, he says.
If that has happened, the dredge project could disturb a layer of sediment containing inorganic mercury and expose it to bacteria, converting it to methylmercury – a more toxic form of mercury that can build up in predatory fish and move up the food chain, according to Kim Tucker, an attorney and environmental activist who lives on Islesboro.
To address concerns of pollution, the state has already asked the Army Corps of Engineers to obtain more core samples from the area proposed for dredging, according to Mark Bergeron, director of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection's division of land resources regulation.
Bergeron says a chemical analysis of the new core samples will be compared with samples the Army Corps of Engineers took in 2008 to determine if there has been any change in mercury levels.
Before the end of summer, the Army Corps of Engineers is expected to apply for a water quality certificate from the DEP. The agency will have year to review the application, which must address all of the environmental impacts of the project, according to Bergeron. He says other state agencies, such as the Department of Marine Resources will also weigh in.
Tucker, who played a leading role in the defeat last year of a proposal to build a propane terminal at the port, says that she worries that the state will be lobbied by business groups who want to transform Searsport into a "heavy industrial" port without taking the time to assess the risk to the bay's ecosystem.
"They are using Penobscot Bay as a grand chemistry experiment," she says.


Have you ever thought to yourself, "I already stuff my mouth with actual fast food and junk food, and stuff my eyes with blog posts about fast food and junk food, but I'd like to stuff my ears with people talking about junk food and fast food"?
Well, my friend, now you can with The Nosh Show!
Join Ryan from Grub Grade, Dubba from On Second Scoop, Eric from Junk Food Guy, and yours truly as we discuss things sweet, salty, and fatty.
We're planning to do an episode every other week, so if you'd like to stay on top of our latest episodes, you can subscribe to The Nosh Show on iTunes. Or if you don't use iTunes, you can use this link to subscribe using your podcast player of choice. You can also follow The Nosh Show on its own blog, Twitter, and Facebook page.
Nice. Congrats on the new show!
Umm…So I'm a little embarrassed. I'm totally black girl blushing right now but I don't care. I stand by my statement: Your voice is hot.
Lol, I'm just teasing. Thanks for listening Amber!
LOVED the show! I thoroughly nerded out 98% of the show. Perfect listening for delivery driving. Subscribed!
Marvo, please say "like" less. I lost count at 20 "likes". It's, like, kind of, like, you know, like, distracting and, you know, like, some other things.
Oh, I know it's, like, distracting. I had to, like, edit the episode, so I heard it about, like, 1000 times. I'll get better. Or start a Nosh Show Drinking Game which involves listeners taking a shot each time I say like.
Just a heads up. I'm in the middle of editing the second episode and I think I say "like" a lot more than in the first one.
Enjoying what I see (well, hear) so far. I think it'd be great if you brought guest hosts on from time to time, like Greg from Freezerburns, Chad from The Ice Cream Informant and the guys from Fat Guy Food Blog.


The mother of Kate Kohlier is suing the man accused of fatally striking her during a pedestrian accident for Florida wrongful death. Kohlier and Doug Kozar were walking across the Harbour Island bridge early on October 30 when they were hit by a car driven by Matthew R. Moye. Both Kohlier, 24, and Kozar, 23, died from their injuries. Another pedestrian, 47-year-old Joao Armando Fonseca Barbosa, broke his ankle has a struggled to get out of the speeding vehicle's way. All three of them were walking to their cars after finishing their shifts at a local hotel when the tragic accident happened.
Moye, who is a 34-year-old Florida dentist, has been charged with two counts of driving under the influence manslaughter, two counts of vehicular homicide, and one count of DUI with injury. Moye may have been operating his vehicle at speeds of up to 90 mph.
Pedestrians are at a huge disadvantage in a Florida traffic crash. They have absolutely nothing to protect them from the impact of getting hit by a car, truck, motorcycle, or bus. Often, the injuries are catastrophic and can include traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, internal injuries, and even death.
While pedestrians must exercise caution when crossing the street, motorists must also be careful not to strike them. This includes refraining from careless or reckless behavior, such as speeding, driving while drunk, distracted driving, drowsy driving, or any other type of irresponsible driving behavior.


text:
Ahlstrom puts two European specialty paper plants under review
Press releases in local languages
Ahlstrom releases
Change in Ahlstrom's Corporate Executive Team
Ahlstrom Corporation STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 17.12.2009 at 16.00
Ahlstrom Corporation, a leading manufacturer of nonwovens and specialty papers, announces the following changes in its Corporate Executive Team as of February 1, 2010.
The responsibility for Ahlstrom's Sourcing operations is transferred to CFO Seppo Parvi. At the same time Diego Borello, Senior Vice President, Purchasing and Sustainability, will take on a new role outside the CET in Ahlstrom's Sourcing organization. Paula Aarnio, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, will be responsible for Ahlstrom's Sustainability in addition to her other responsibility areas.
Jan Lång
NASDAQ OMX Helsinki
Main media
www.ahlstrom.com
Ahlstrom in brief
Ahlstrom is a global leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of high performance nonwovens and specialty papers. Ahlstrom´s products are used in a large variety of everyday applications, such as filters, wipes, flooring, labels, and tapes. Based upon its unique fiber expertise and innovative approach, the company has a strong market position in several business areas in which it operates. Ahlstrom's 6,000 employees serve customers via sales offices and production facilities in more than 20 countries on six continents. In 2008, Ahlstrom's net sales amounted to EUR 1.8 billion. Ahlstrom's share is quoted on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. The company website is at www.ahlstrom.com.
Ahlstrom-Munksjö strengthens manufacturing platform for high performance filtration and energy storage applications
Ahlstrom-Munksjö completes the sale of glass fiber reinforcement business
Ahlstrom-Munksjö joins 4evergreen to boost sustainable packaging
Ahlstrom-Munksjö establishes a growth platform for its attractive Advanced Liquid Technologies business through acquisition

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
French Creek is a stream in Clearwater County, Minnesota, in the United States. It flows into Lake Itasca.

French Creek was named for George H. French, a government surveyor.

See also
List of rivers of Minnesota

References

Rivers of Clearwater County, Minnesota
Rivers of Minnesota

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


UC Browser 9.5 also includes support for more languages and fonts on web pages, a Web Application Center, an Image Viewer feature for webpages and more. Beyond that it has the fastest download speed of any mobile browser. You can now add your favorite web apps to UC Browser and enjoy mobile life without worrying about constantly downloading, installing and updating.And when browsing a web page displaying a language that your phone does not support, UC Browser will display a pop-up requesting permission to download the language. UC Browser for Android is now compatible with more fonts as well.
Dell XCD28 is a touchscreen phone with Android v2.1 (Eclair) operating system. It supports Single SIM, GSM, has Up to 8 GB internal memory. The phone can be expanded memory with USB Port, USB 2.0, microUSB. Dell XCD28 gets a 240 x 320 pixels TFT screen, an 3.2 MP, Auto focus main camera. The phone can use Wi-Fi 802.11, b/g, bluetooth v2.1, EDR, A2DP. Talktime Up to 4.6 Hours(2G) is long enough for common use. 100 grams weight, 102 x 55 x 14.50 mm make it easy to take.