Sunday, Dec. 25, 2005 | 7:59 a.m.
The largest cleanup of a contaminated industrial site in Nevada's history is about to pave the way for a master planned community in Henderson.
The proposed project will move a step closer to reality Jan. 3 if, as expected, the Henderson City Council votes to annex 1,362 acres east of Boulder Highway. The land is part of a 2,200-acre development by Centex Homes, which is acquiring the land from the LandWell Co., the manager of the Basic Management Inc. industrial site.
Despite its proximity to the BMI site, the planned residential community has escaped the criticism that had dogged a proposed Sam's Club and Wal-Mart Supercenter at the northwest corner of Lake Mead Parkway and Water Street. Amid the criticism, Wal-Mart, which planned to acquire the property from LandWell, has placed those plans on hold.
The master planned development, which is expected to include homes, apartments, offices, retail and industrial uses, has about 100 acres of ponds where waste water from the industrial complex was stored. The site, bisected by Boulder Highway, is far enough away to alleviate concerns about any toxic releases from the industrial plant, according to Henderson and Clark County emergency management officials.
"There is enough of a buffer in this case," said Richard Brenner, the Clark County Fire Department hazardous materials coordinator who has criticized the Wal-Mart proposal.
Mike Cyphers, Henderson's emergency management coordinator, said although plans call for some commercial development along Boulder Highway, that area is more than a half-mile away from where chemicals are stored on the BMI site. The homes will be even farther away, he said.
By contrast, the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter and Sam's Club would have placed those buildings as close as 700 feet to the chemical plants -- some of which produce chlorine and titanium tetrachloride, which can be fatal when inhaled in large concentrations. Greater distance lessens the potential danger because the chemicals dissipate, officials said.
"There would be enough time to issue shelter and place orders telling people to stay inside and close the doors and windows," Cyphers said.
Clark County has limited development near the industrial area because of the dangers. The LandWell property is zoned for one home per two acres to discourage intense development, but Centex will be seeking zoning that allows denser development.
Centex has yet to announce its plans for the site, said Greg Evangelatos, the company's land use planning manager. The company hopes to start home construction in 2008 or 2009, he said.
LandWell, which is responsible for the clean up, is waiting for the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection to approve a decontamination plan before the work can proceed, said Mark Paris, Landwell's president and chief executive officer.
Monitoring wells and other tests on the site have found high levels of such carcinogens as arsenic in the soil and ground water, as well as uranium in the ground water. State environmental officials have said those contaminations can be cleaned up, though Nevada EPA spokeswoman Cindy Anderson cautioned that "it is a really big job."
LandWell said the plan calls for removing nearly 2 million cubic feet of soil, ranging in depth from several inches to several feet. The removed dirt will be placed in a landfill specifically designed for it in an area where no other development will occur, Anderson said.
LandWell has invested $50 million in the project so far, including paying $12.5 million for a treatment plant. The cleanup of 400 acres of the 2,200-acre site is estimated to cost $40 million, including $12 million for testing the yard of each home ultimately built.
The contamination of the site dates back to World War II when the federal government authorized the construction of the $130-million Basic Magnesium Inc. plant, which produced magnesium for military aircraft and ammunition. Liquid wastes from the magnesium manufacturing were channeled to unlined evaporation ponds, and solid wastes were dumped in unlined landfills and trenches.
A treatment plant that opened in May purifies the contaminated waste water.
Brian Wargo can be reached at 259-4011 or at [email protected].
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