Rockdale County lifts shelter-in-place for entire county, remainder of cleanup transitions to BioLab team

ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA–Rockdale County Emergency Management Agency has lifted the shelter-in-place order throughout Rockdale County after continuous cleanup for two and a half weeks at the BioLab chemical fire site.

During a press conference today(Oct. 17), Chairman Oz Nesbitt said Rockdale County government was ending its involvement in the BioLab event after 19 days of utilizing public safety crews and other resources around the clock since the Sept. 29 broke out around 5 a.m. at the BioLab plant.  Nesbitt said the county had not quantified a dollar amount concerning resources devoted to the BioLab event.

“…We’re closing out our involvement in it from a safety and mitigation standpoint and now it transitions to the complete lap of BioLab and the county takes a totally different position from this point forward,” Nesbitt said.

Nesbitt said it’s now left up to BioLab and all of the contract services BioLab has hired to complete cleanup at the site.

“…Our work is done. It’s now left up to BioLab and all of the contract services they have hired to come in and continue to do the rest of what they need to do.  But in terms of public health and public safety when it involves our local fire and rescue, our job is complete,” Nesbitt said.

The fire at BioLab occurred after a water sprinkler system activated chlorine chemicals at the plant creating plumes that forced evacuations and shelter-in-place orders for residents. BioLab manufactures swimming pool and spa products.

Rockdale Fire Chief Marian Daniels said 4 million pounds of Trichloroisocyanuric Acid (TCCA) was stored at the BioLab facility and was the main chemical in the plume. She said about 787, 000 gallons of water has been used to mitigate cleanup at the site. Daniels did not say how long it might take to complete the BioLab to complete the cleanup. She did say that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Adminstration (OSHA )will now oversee the remainder of the work.

Nesbitt said that BioLab was invited to the press conference. No official, however, from BioLab attended.

Said Nesbitt: “We extended an invitation to BioLab to participate in this press conference. Quite frankly, I think it’s a slap in the face. I feel like the citizens and business owners who have been held hostage for the last 19 days deserve to hear directly from the leadership and corporate management of BioLab.”

Rockdale officials said the decision was made to lift the shelter-in-place order after 72 hours of air monitoring showed no significant spikes, adding there was no longer a visible plume. Officials said lifting the 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. shelter-in-place order includes residents and businesses within the two-mile radius of the BioLab plant.

Officials gave the green light for Rockdale to resume normal activities immediately.

Rockdale County Public Schools Superintendent Terri Oatts notified parents around 3 p.m. on Tuesday as the press conference was underway, announcing that students would return to in-person learning on Monday, Oct. 21. Rockdale students have been away from the classroom since Sept. 25 due to a scheduled fall break, inclement weather from Tropical Storm Helene and the Sept. 29 BioLab disaster. Virtual learning was extended through Oct. 18.

Chairman Nesbitt noted the school system’s disruption, along with businesses  and the the county government.

“Our community has been held hostage for a number of days, a number of weeks. We’re ready to get back to some sense of normalcy,” Nesbitt said.

BioLab Opens Community Assistance \Center

Residents and business owners affected by the BioLab incident can seek help at the BioLab Community Assistance Center, located at 927 North Main Street NW, Conyers. Appointments can be scheduled online at BioLabCommunityResources.com, and a limited number of walk-in appointments are available daily on a first-come, first-served basis. For help with scheduling, call BioLab’s hotline at 678-301-2359.

Click the link below to watch the Oct. 17, 2024  Rockdale County press conference on BioLab video by Glenn L. Morgan/OCG.COM: