FRANKLIN – Living next door to a hazardous chemical cleanup site has become a fact of life for residents of Daniels Drive.

Down the hill from the cul-de-sac of humble brick homes, huge pits have been corralling a brew of chemicals flowing underground for nearly two years. Adjoining the neighborhood is the Harpeth River, where absorbent booms are stuffed under holes on the riverbank to sop up the chemicals.

Nearby paint maker Egyptian Lacquer Manufacturing Co. has taken responsibility for the solvents toluene and acetone that have been seeping into the creek. More recently, the presence of the carcinogen benzene has raised the stakes.

Environmental consultant Dwight Hinch predicted earlier this year that the cleanup would continue “well into the summer.” But as summer wanes, the latest tests suggest that the situation isn’t improving. Egyptian Lacquer’s new plan for addressing the pollution is under scrutiny by state environmental officials.

The chemicals do not affect Franklin’s drinking water: The city’s water plant is upstream. Nor have there been fish kills or other significant damage in the Harpeth River.

But as lawyers and environmentalists bicker, the homes on Daniels Drive continue to sit atop a plume of chemicals of uncertain size.

“It’s absolutely a concern of mine, but no, I’m going ahead and living my life the way I’ve been living it,” said Mary Jackson, who’s lived on Daniels Drive since 1973. “I’m not going to lock myself in the house. What kind of life would that be?”

The pollution has kept neighbors in a state of fear, anger and uncertainty. It’s cost Egyptian Lacquer reportedly more than $1.3 million, and has the company facing the threat of a lawsuit.

Awareness of the problem began in late 2006 when downtown Franklin was plagued by an acrid smell similar to cat urine.

People living near Daniels Drive say they’ve experienced all sorts of foul smells for years.

Old Liberty Pike resident Jimmy Cartwright, 65, recalls Franklin Police evacuating his neighborhood in 1995 because of an incident at the Egyptian Lacquer plant on Fort Granger Drive.

A city codes inspector’s report from April of that year mentions investigating complaints from Old Liberty Pike residents about the plant. And in early November 2006, several Daniels Drive residents say they were awakened at night by a foul odor.

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