Liquid Sodium Testing Facility Blindsides Rural Caldwell Residents
The new 3,600 square foot development is surrounded by several small farms and residents worry about the impact it could have on humans and wildlife.
In the eastern outskirts of Lockhart near Dale, residents are fighting back against a new development project by Austin-based company Aalo Atomics that neighbors say presents a hazard to humans, wildlife and the environment.
The 3,600-square-foot development is located near several farms that grow organic produce and chicken eggs. The Aalo Atomics facility will test liquid sodium, used as a cooling mechanism for nuclear reactors; it’s also a volatile element that is extremely sensitive to exposure to oxygen and water.
This facility arrives as Texas leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott, are pushing to expand the state’s energy infrastructure to meet surging demand from data centers and industrial development. Advanced nuclear firms such as Aalo have positioned their technology as part of the solution to those growing power needs. Mary Lynne Seay, a retired nurse, is the de facto leader of an informal group of neighbors opposed to this testing facility. She lives behind the facility’s site with her husband, where they tend 15 acres of coastal hay.
Two months ago, Mary Lynne noticed construction underway and suggested to her husband that they investigate. “I want to go see what they’re building there, because it didn’t look like this was going to have anything to do with farming,” she recalled. She says they spoke to a man at the site, but he did not provide much information about the project. “He wasn’t even upfront, I asked him right away: Is this gonna be something environmental that will hurt us out here, is this gonna be something chemical, is this gonna be something to do with nuclear?” Mary Lynne says she was shocked that residents were not notified about a project like this, which led her to start digging deeper.
As we were talking in her living room, Mary Lynne opened a manila folder resting on the ottoman. It was filled with documents and handwritten notes from the research she has conducted. “I found out that this property was bought under a company named Atlas Acres, LLC. It wasn’t even Aalo Atomics, so right away they were trying to do this under cover,” she said, flipping through the pages.
Mary Lynne feels like they have been left in the dark about the project and worry they are being used as guinea pigs for unproven technology. She argues that Aalo’s liquid sodium testing could have serious consequences for nearby residents if an accident were to happen.
A 2011 study by researchers Giovanni Manzini and Flavio Parozz found that liquid sodium’s primary hazards stem from its violent reactions with air and water, which can generate fires, hydrogen gas, and corrosive sodium hydroxide. “They could literally steal the lives of my daughter, her husband, my grandkids, and ruin this land if they have a leak,” she said. “It takes one drop if it hits the air or water to have a massive explosion.” Her concerns are rooted in very real science; unlike conventional fires, sodium fires cannot be extinguished with water and instead require specialized Class D fire suppressants designed for combustible metals. Mary Lynne questioned whether local emergency responders would be prepared to handle such an incident. “About four miles away we have a one-truck local fire department,” she said. “They put out small grass fires—that’s it.”
Jenna Madrigal, Mary Lynne’s daughter and a local teacher, lives with her family in a home on her parents’ property overlooking the facility’s construction site. As work continues, Jenna worries not only about the environmental risks associated with liquid sodium but also about the future value of the property she hoped would one day help support her family. “I have three children and I’ve worked very hard. We’re not people who have ever been rich, and it’s very frustrating that the one thing I was hoping would be my security and retirement has been stolen from me,” she said. That frustration extends beyond the company itself. Jenna said she believes local officials failed to adequately communicate with residents as the project moved forward. “There’s a severe lack of transparency with our local government in communicating about any of these things coming into town,” she said. “And it’s very disheartening, and the people have no power.”
Jenna theorizes that Aalo Atomics chose Caldwell County because it believed residents and elected leaders would not present obstacles to the project. “They were going for people who wouldn’t question it, and Caldwell is proving time and time again that it’s a prime candidate for those stipulations,” she said. “Our politicians are not—they’re just not equipped for any of that.”
Across the room, neighbor Joni Foster leaned over an armchair as the discussion turned to the pace of the project and the role residents should play in shaping Caldwell County’s future. “It’s going too fast but I’m not against business, I’m pro-thoughtful development,” she said. “Not this rush, under the cloak of darkness,” Joni clarified. “The only thing I can tell people is that it’s time to vote. It’s time to ask the politicians who want your vote about how they are going to protect rural life.”
Mary Lynne says she had become increasingly frustrated with her local and state leaders. “Our county commissioners, who at first said they didn’t know anything about this, the more I talked to them, the more they were slipping up,” Mary Lynne said.. “Hoppy Haden, the county judge, we play this text message game back and forth and he doesn’t call me back unless I contact him. She said this issue has fundamentally changed how she views the political party she supported most of her adult life, “I have voted for Republicans in this state for 40 years. I consider myself an independent now. I’m not a Democrat, but I will never vote Republican in this state again.”
Mary Lynne and her neighbors previously tried to amplify their plight by way of local TV news, but she feels FOX 7 Austin did not do the issue justice.
Aalo Atomic disputes the concerns raised by their new neighbors and says that sodium is a common material that comes from table salt. “The risks associated with liquid sodium at the proposed facility are very low,” said Jennefer Traeger, a company spokesperson. While it’s true that sodium is a component of table salt, liquid sodium is not a stable element and therefore much more volatile than salt. Aalo Atomics also said they are in the process of planning a town hall to speak with residents directly.
Throughout our discussions with residents, one thing was quite clear: these people are worried about their futures and extremely disappointed in their local representatives. Opposition to data centers and their supportive infrastructure, like what is happening in Caldwell County, is spreading across the state. Rural Texans are growing increasingly impatient with local and state leaders who they feel are not adequately addressing their concerns related to developments that are encroaching on their land, resources, and property values.
Editor's note: This story was originally published by Caldwell/Hays Examiner and is republished here with permission. Readers can support the Examiner with a donation or subscription via their website.