Chattanooga Organized for Action, the Hamilton County Democratic Party, the Cherokee Sierra Club, and several local religious congregations plan a candlelight vigil Thursday in Alton Park in hopes of persuading state regulators to force a cleanup at the idled Velsicol Chemical Co. plant site.

The vigil will begin at 7 p.m. at Alton Park Church of Christ Alton Park Church of Christ at 3735 Alton Park Blvd. in Chattanooga.

Organizer Chris Brooks said there will be testimonies from people affected first-hand by the plant's chemical contamination.

The Velsicol plant has been shut down since 2007, and company officials say they have hauled away thousands of pounds of contaminants, but the groundwater remains polluted, as well some areas of soil.

Velsicol and state regulators want to cover the 36-acre site with 12 to 18 inches of soil, fence it, and monitor the groundwater.

Residents want the site completely cleaned up.