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Frisco Citizens To Grill Exide At Public Meeting Tonight

Exide plant in Frisco.
Shelley Kofler, KERA
Exide plant in Frisco.

Some Frisco residents want more details about what will be buried on the property of the Exide lead battery plant which has closed. 

Exide officials say they will answer citizen questions at a public meeting scheduled for 7:00 p.m. tonight at Frisco’s Heritage Center.

Members of Frisco Unleaded, a group that successfully fought to close the battery recycling plant, say they are now concerned that contaminated materials will be buried on the 75 acre plant site which sits in the middle of Frisco.

Exide has posted a demolition plan online that says debris and waste with excessive levels of lead and cadmium will be disposed of off-site, but materials with lesser amounts of contamination may be buried on the Exide property.

Colette McCadden with the group Frisco Unleaded says her group wants contaminated removed from the city.

“There’s still a potential for groundwater contamination and that landfill is right next to a tributary for Stewart Creek,” said McCadden.

McCadden says her group also opposes any plan that would allow Exide to dispose of contaminated waste from other places at the Frisco site.

“When they say they believe the site should be left open until filled that means they will truck in more stuff from outside into Frisco to bury in that landfill,” McCadden said.  

Exide officials could not be reached to clarify plans for cleaning up the plant which ceased operation November 30.   

State and federal environmental agencies have documented excessive contamination on the plant property.  The amount of lead in the air near the p

lant has exceeded federal safety levels. 

Former KERA staffer Shelley Kofler was news director, managing editor and senior reporter. She is an award-winning reporter and television producer who previously served as the Austin bureau chief and legislative reporter for North Texas ABC affiliate WFAA-TV.