listen to the podcast | Toxic Time Bomb: How a Plant Closure Unleashes a Hidden Pollution Crisis

The impending closure of Pixelle Specialty Solutions' paper mill in Chillicothe by August 10, 2025, represents a critical juncture for the long-term environmental management of the former Howmet Wear-Ever Facility. This closure will cease the operation of Pixelle's high-capacity collector wells, specifically PW-17 and PW-18, which have been instrumental in maintaining hydrodynamic control over a significant volatile organic compound (VOC) plume originating from the Wear-Ever site.

The existing environmental remediation strategy for the Wear-Ever site, established through a Director's Final Findings and Orders (DFFO) in 1999, has relied on the ongoing influence of Pixelle's pumping wells for plume containment. The cessation of these operations, driven by an external economic event, exposes a profound vulnerability in the long-term environmental management plan. 

This escalating situation necessitates immediate, robust, and coordinated contingency planning. It demands transparent communication and collaborative action among Howmet Aerospace, the Ohio EPA, local government entities, and community stakeholders to proactively address and mitigate a potential environmental and public health crisis.

The Former WearEver Aluminum Co. site, situated at 1089 Eastern Avenue in Chillicothe, Ohio, represents a significant industrial legacy. Established in 1948, the facility was a major employer in the region, but its manufacturing processes resulted in substantial environmental contamination. Operations at the plant involved the use of various hazardous chemicals, including trichloroethylene (TCE), benzene, vinyl chloride, lead, and cadmium. Many of these substances are recognized carcinogens and pose serious risks to human health.  

The full extent of this contamination became evident after the plant's closure in the late 1990s. An EPA investigation, prompted by a 1986 report, identified a significant TCE-contaminated groundwater plume. This plume was found to be spreading off-site, extending towards the Scioto River and, critically, residential areas located near the Chillicothe Wastewater Treatment Plant. In March 1999, Alcoa Inc., the former operator and now Howmet Aerospace Inc., entered into a Director's Final Findings and Orders (DFFO) with the Ohio EPA. This agreement committed Howmet to specific remedial actions and ongoing groundwater plume monitoring. Despite the implementation of on-site remedial actions that have shown some improvements in groundwater quality, the off-site VOC groundwater plume is still projected to persist for many years.

The plume currently extends approximately 2,000 feet northeast of the Wear-Ever site. Key contaminants of interest (COIs) identified within the plume include trichloroethylene (TCE), cis-1,2-dichloroethylene (cis-DCE), and vinyl chloride. Recent monitoring data from the Fourth Quarter 2024 revealed significant exceedances of federal Maximum Contaminant Limits (MCLs). 

Monitoring well MW-D-S recorded TCE at 610 µg/l, an anomalous outlier that still highlights the potential for high concentration spikes, even though a subsequent Q1 2025 sample was 76 µg/L. Monitoring well MW-C-I showed concentrations of 1,1-dichloroethylene (1,1-DCE) at 110 J µg/l, cis-DCE at 2,800 µg/l, and vinyl chloride at 230 J µg/l, all surpassing their respective MCLs. Additionally, monitoring well MW-OS-1-I had cis-DCE detected at 200 J µg/l, also exceeding its MCL.

While many recent reports indicate an overall downward trend in TCE and cis-DCE concentrations at some wells since 2013, these recent exceedances demonstrate the persistent and significant nature of the contamination.  

Howmet Aerospace continues to implement the Groundwater Monitoring Plan (GWMP), updated in 2012, and adheres to additional monitoring recommendations approved by the Ohio EPA in 2016. Quarterly monitoring events involve measuring groundwater levels, assessing groundwater flow direction in the plume area, and monitoring groundwater quality. The Ohio EPA maintains active oversight of the site and has urged Howmet to undertake additional actions, specifically demanding the installation of new sentinel wells along the southeast boundary. This demand stems from concerns that the plume may extend further than previously modeled and that current monitoring is inadequate.

The local advocacy group "Wear-Ever Exposed" has meticulously documented numerous severe health conditions among former Wear-Ever employees and their families. These conditions, including various cancers, respiratory illnesses, and neurological disorders, are linked to exposure to toxic substances at the plant. 

Many of the monitoring reports present a narrative of progress, citing "improved groundwater quality" and an "overall downward trend" in VOC concentrations in some wells since 2013. However, these same reports detail multiple, significant MCL exceedances, including the most recent quarter. Conflicting information suggests a potential underestimation or downplaying of the true extent and persistence of the contamination.  

The groundwater monitoring program for the Former Wear-Ever Facility explicitly states its core objective: to "Confirm that hydrodynamic control of the existing off-Site VOC groundwater plume is maintained by the Pixelle Collector Wells 17 and 18". These two high-capacity industrial wells are strategically positioned approximately 2,000 feet east and northeast of the Wear-Ever facility. Their continuous pumping operations are designed to create a hydraulic gradient that captures and contains the off-site VOC plume, thereby preventing its uncontrolled migration towards sensitive receptors.  

Historically, the pumping of Collector Well 18 exerted the most significant influence, typically directing groundwater flow to the northeast. However, a critical shift in groundwater flow direction was observed in the second quarter of 2020, when the flow shifted distinctly to the southeast. This change was directly correlated with an observed "reduced production from their collector wells" by Pixelle. This undesirable southeastward flow persisted for approximately 1.5 years, from Q2 2020 through Q3 2021, accompanied by a significantly reduced horizontal hydraulic gradient. Over the past three years (since Q4 2021), potentiometric data indicates a successful shift back in horizontal groundwater flow direction towards the east-northeast. This re-establishment of the desired flow is explicitly attributed to "increased pumping at Collector Wells due to maintenance work performed by Pixelle," including the redevelopment of Well 17 in October 2021 and further maintenance at both Wells 17 and 18 in March 2024. The December 2024 gauging data confirms that groundwater is currently being effectively captured by Collector Wells 17 and 18, demonstrating their ongoing role in plume containment.

Monintoring reports explicitly detail past instances (Q2 2020 to Q3 2021) where a reduction in Pixelle's pumping directly correlated with an undesirable shift in the groundwater plume's flow direction to the southeast. This is not a theoretical risk but a documented one. The subsequent re-establishment of control required increased pumping by Pixelle. The impending permanent cessation of all Pixelle pumping is a more extreme scenario than the temporary reduction previously observed. This historical precedent demonstrates the inherent fragility of the current plume containment strategy. The system is not robustly self-correcting; it relies on active, continuous, and high-volume pumping from a third-party industrial operation.   

The spatial relationship between the former Wear-Ever facility, the VOC plume, Pixelle's wells, and the Chillicothe WWTP is critical to understanding the risks. The below image provides an aerial perspective, clearly delineating the "Wearever Facility" as the source area. The "Approximate Plume Limits (dashed where inferred)" visually demonstrate the plume's existing extent and its proximity to critical areas. The "Chillicothe WWTP Plant" is highlighted, showing its extremely close proximity to the plume boundary, "only just a few hundred yards." The location of "Industrial Well 18" (one of the key Pixelle wells) relative to the plume and the WWTP is also visible. The "Scioto River" indicates the ultimate potential receptor body. This map visually reinforces the urgency of the situation by illustrating the direct spatial relationship between the contamination, the control mechanisms, and the vulnerable community infrastructure.

Pixelle Specialty Solutions has formally announced that its Chillicothe paper mill will officially cease all production operations by August 10, 2025. This closure date represents an acceleration from an earlier announced delay until the end of 2025, primarily driven by a "significant decline in order volume and a sharp increase in employee departures". The permanent shutdown of the paper mill inherently means the cessation of pumping operations at Pixelle's Collector Wells 17 and 18.

The Ohio EPA has explicitly articulated its concern that a "shift in groundwater flow caused by variable pumping rates of Pixelle collector wells could result in migration of the VOC plume toward residences located just beyond the southeast property line". The Ohio EPA previously requested an assessment to determine the necessity of a "contingent remedy to ensure containment, control, and/or treatment of the plume." This assessment was specifically requested for "various altered pumping scenarios," including a "50% reduction in pumping rates from wells PW-17 and PW-18," and, critically, "permanent cessation of all Pixelle pumping that would result in natural flow conditions". 

The TCE-contaminated plume is already recognized to be spreading "toward the Scioto River and residential areas near Chillicothe's wastewater treatment plant". The close proximity indicates a high potential for direct impact. The Chillicothe WWTP is a vital piece of urban infrastructure, currently undergoing a substantial $60 million reconstruction project , underscoring its critical and ongoing operational importance for the city's public health and sanitation. While the municipal drinking water supply for Chillicothe is primarily sourced from groundwater and is generally considered "susceptible to contamination" , the immediate concern regarding the Wear-Ever plume is its direct threat to the wastewater treatment plant itself, and then potentially to private wells in the affected migration path.  

The closure of Pixelle is primarily attributed to economic factors like declining order volume and employee departures. However, the Ohio Atomic Press extensively details Pixelle's own severe and long-standing history of environmental violations, including a recent $234,440 federal EPA penalty for Clean Air Act violations, and alarming levels of toxic chemical releases, such as a 2500% dioxin exceedanceand a reported cancer risk 453 times the legal limit for air pollution. The closure directly exacerbates the separate environmental problem of the Wear-Ever plume by removing its critical hydraulic control. This scenario illustrates a complex and dangerous inter-company risk transfer. One company's extensive environmental liabilities and regulatory non-compliance may have contributed to its economic failure, which in turn creates a heightened, immediate environmental threat for another company's long-term remediation efforts. The community of Chillicothe faces a "double jeopardy" of environmental burden, underscoring the need for more integrated, holistic environmental governance.  

This situation exemplifies a profound environmental justice issue. The residents of Chillicothe are facing a compounding burden of legacy industrial contamination, active industrial pollution, and now the complex, cascading risks associated with a major industrial closure.

NOTE: The Ohio Atomic Press has reached out to the Ohio EPA for comment. Once we receive that statement we will update this article with that information.