Chapter 63 - The Second Plume
The state's technical report took nine months.
It was six hundred pages.
Noah read the executive summary.
Then forced himself to read the rest.
The conclusion:
Briar Glen contamination came from at least two significant release periods.
Older deep groundwater contamination:
Primarily associated with Carter Materials operations between the late 1970s and mid-1990s.
Shallower contamination near Maple Street:
Substantially associated with Eastgate releases after acquisition.
No clean villain.
No clean company.
No complete innocence.
The state estimated cleanup would take fifteen to twenty years.
Cost:
Between $1.8 billion and $3.4 billion.
Combined.
Noah stared.
Eleanor called.
“Board meets tomorrow.”
“What are you recommending?”
“Negotiated allocation.”
“Percentage?”
“Technical team says Carter forty-five to sixty percent depending on remedy.”
“Eastgate?”
“Rest.”
“Will Grant agree?”
“No.”
“Will you?”
“If science supports it.”
Noah smiled.
“That sounds dangerously responsible.”
“Don't get used to it.”
The town hated the timeframe.
Fifteen years sounded like surrender.
Carol Keller asked:
“I'll be eighty-three.”
The regulator nodded.
“Potentially.”
“So I get clean groundwater when I'm dead?”
The official explained that drinking-water protections were immediate, while aquifer restoration took longer.
Carol did not care about technical distinction.
Neither did Noah.
He asked engineers a different question.
“What can people see change in one year?”
That produced a better answer.
Remove source materials.
Connect every remaining private well to municipal supply.
Install vapor mitigation.
Excavate the worst soil hot spots.
Create real-time public monitoring.
Buy properties only where owners voluntarily wanted relocation.
Fund medical screening without requiring people to waive claims.
That last point caused legal war.
Carter lawyers hated it.
Eastgate lawyers hated it more.
“If we fund medical monitoring, plaintiffs will call it admission.”
Noah stared at Carter counsel.
“Is it?”
“No.”
“Then say it isn't.”
“Jurors—”
“People are scared.”
“We can fund through a neutral public-health entity.”
Lydia spoke from across the table.
“Do that.”
Counsel looked at her.
“Ms. Mercer—”
“She works in policy,” Noah said.
“Sadly.”
Lydia ignored him.
“Create a jointly funded independent health-monitoring program.”
“No company doctors.”
“No litigation release.”
“No forced causal claims.”
“Residents get screening information.”
“Researchers get anonymized data.”
The room became quiet.
Eleanor nodded.
“That's workable.”
Grant Trent refused.
Carter Global funded the first stage alone.
Public reaction changed.
Not forgiven.
Changed.
Nora called Noah.
“My father would have liked this.”
“What part?”
“The monitoring.”
Noah smiled.
“Not me?”
“He'd have tolerated you.”
“High praise.”
Then Nora's voice became serious.
“We found something else in the canister.”
Noah closed his eyes.
“Of course.”
“A cassette.”
“Thomas?”
“No.”
“Who?”
May you like
Nora swallowed.
“Your grandfather.”
