08/26/2024
As our County gives a deadling to remove everyone living in the Beggs Lane Area they have not given any alternative as to where these people can go. There is a displacement coming and we need to stop it from happening.
For those who are unfamiliar, Beggs Ln is a road off of Palafox St in the Brent area of Pensacola. We tend to use the term 'Beggs Ln' to encompass an entire area. Otherwise know as Escambia Arms, the area is one of the largest Superfund sites in the United States. Roughly 70 acres. It was the Escambia Wood Treating site where creosote would be sprayed over wood products like telephone poles. This severely contaminated the land and even leached into the watertable effecting our community all the way to East Hill and Bayou Texar.
In the late 90' the EPA had to step in and attempt to clean the area. The way and EPA official explained, "The soil was excavated and brought back to the site and buried in a containment cell, which is an underground lined container." The containment cell is roughly 18 acers in size. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also assisted. They implemented a very large endeavor of relocating the Escambia Arms, Rosewood Terrace, Oak Park, and Groulding subdivision. Basically, all the communities surrounding the treatment facility that were being exposed to the health risks caused from the contamination.
This area was deemed safe for human use back around 2008, but not for habitation. They also found that while the ground no longer may pose a threat, the water underneath was still very much contaminated. An EPA official at the time said "No one is drinking the groundwater where the contamination is impacting. Everyone is on City water." By everyone, I am sure they meant people living in homes. I say that because there are over 200 people living in the rough on this contaminated property. We as a community have turned a blind eye to people living here because it is out of sight, out of mind. Because they can not make money off of it yet, but it is coming.
In 2018, the EPA transfered the property back to Escambia County for the development of a new commercial, and industrial area. The name that was being thrown around was the "Midtown Commerce Park".
Now that we are caught up, there is a real concern that the people living on this land are being contaminated. That they are at serious health risks associated with living there. We are currently seeing the spread of Shigella in the area. A bacteria infection commonly found in contaminated drinking water. Very closely related to E. Coli. It is believed that it may have originated from this area. I guess not "everyone is on City water", like the EPA assumed.
We as a community have documented this contaminated property, but our officials seem to allow people experiencing homelessness to live here. They have all know that people have been living on this property for over a decade with these conditions existing. They (the City and County) are responsible for allowing these conditions to persist.
This is not a call for them to be forcibly removed. It is a call for safer conditions. Health and safety is key for ALL our people.
