Residents across the county have joined a campaign to close an industrial waste pond at a South Side plant.

Ohio Citizen Action estimates it has planted 870 yard signs that read "Georgia Pacific. CLOSE THE PIT" at homes on the South Side and in communities including Dublin, Grandview Heights, Grove City, Hilliard, Westerville and Upper Arlington.

"Pollution doesn't have boundaries," said Leontien Kennedy of Ohio Citizen Action.

She said an additional 230 signs will be placed in yards within the next few weeks. But as the campaign grows, Georgia Pacific got some good news.

Recent tests of wells used for drinking water at eight houses near the resin plant did not detect chemicals used by Georgia Pacific. The tests showed that levels of arsenic were higher, but it can occur naturally.

Citizen Action had demanded that Georgia Pacific officials connect the eight homes to the Columbus water system. The homes use private wells.

"While we are concerned about the citizens and their drinking water, I don't think it is GP's responsibility," said David Mason, plant manager.

The fight is over a 2 million-gallon waste pond that residents call a threat to them and the environment.

The pond was one focus of a study ordered by a Franklin County Common Pleas Court in 2001 as part of a $22 million lawsuit settlement.

Plant neighbors sued after an 8,500-gallon resin kettle exploded in 1997, killing a worker and forcing the evacuation of 15 nearby homes.

The study, issued in November, concluded that air pollution from evaporated pond water is underestimated and, if accurately measured, would require a stricter state air permit.

Citizen Action wants Georgia Pacific to replace the pond with a water-treatment plant.

Greg VanHorn of Dublin said he supports the plant's neighbors.

"I remember the explosion that happened," said VanHorn, 53, a teacher. "I was curious about the signs. I called the campaign and asked how I could help."

Craig Butler, chief of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's central district office, said he is satisfied that there is no longer a concern with the drinking water.

The agency and Citizen Action ran separate tests on the water to follow up on 1992 tests that detected phenol at 0.15 parts per million at two homes.

The U.S. EPA has no health limit for phenol in water. It says 2 parts per million, a much higher level, can be hazardous.

Tests did show five homes with arsenic slightly above 10 parts per billion.

Arsenic occurs naturally in Ohio groundwater. Issues with arsenic in water have become common since the U.S. EPA lowered its 50 parts-per-billion limit in 2001.

Mary Hawkins, one of the eight homeowners, said she is relieved that there is no phenol in her water. She doesn't know what to do about the arsenic, which was detected at 12 parts per billion.

"I never had this thing pop up to concern me," she said.

shunt@dispatch.com