Contaminated Nation
Every day families and communities are affected by toxic substances that have been leaked, spilled, buried and dumped across the United States.
Updated: 23 hours 24 min ago
DuPont Finalizing NJ Lake Cleanup Plan
August 9, 2010 - DuPont expects to remove up to 80,000 cubic yards of mercury-laced sediment and soil from Pompton Lake and its shoreline in a project that will take more than four years.
The mercury was deposited into the lake over many decades by the Acid Brook, which runs through DuPont's former munitions factory in Pompton Lakes.
State and federal agencies want DuPont to remove the mercury because it is a toxic metal that can harm humans who eat contaminated fish from the lake. The lake is a popular fishing spot known for its pike, bass and carp.
Pompton Lake, which is ringed by homes, also serves as a backup water supply to reservoirs that provide drinking water to many North Jersey towns. Many residents recall swimming in the lake as children.
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The mercury was deposited into the lake over many decades by the Acid Brook, which runs through DuPont's former munitions factory in Pompton Lakes.
State and federal agencies want DuPont to remove the mercury because it is a toxic metal that can harm humans who eat contaminated fish from the lake. The lake is a popular fishing spot known for its pike, bass and carp.
Pompton Lake, which is ringed by homes, also serves as a backup water supply to reservoirs that provide drinking water to many North Jersey towns. Many residents recall swimming in the lake as children.
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NH Superfund Sites Living Long, Dirty Lives
August 9, 2010 - When many of us think of New Hampshire, we think of fresh-water lakes, clean mountain rivers and refreshing ocean waters.
But the state is also home to 20 Superfund sites that have caused water contamination problems from Berlin to Newington.
The Mottolo Superfund site in Raymond may be the only one currently causing residential well contamination, but all of the sites are still constantly monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency and/or the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, some more than 25 years after being added to the list of the nation's worst hazardous waste sites.
A site is named to the National Priority List if it reaches a certain score indicating high levels and large amounts of contamination hazardous to public health and the environment. There are 115 sites in New England and about 1,300 nationwide, according to Larry Brill, EPA chief of Superfund sites for the New England region.
It can take as long as 20 years to determine the best remedy for a site, and many are never deemed truly "clean."
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But the state is also home to 20 Superfund sites that have caused water contamination problems from Berlin to Newington.
The Mottolo Superfund site in Raymond may be the only one currently causing residential well contamination, but all of the sites are still constantly monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency and/or the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, some more than 25 years after being added to the list of the nation's worst hazardous waste sites.
A site is named to the National Priority List if it reaches a certain score indicating high levels and large amounts of contamination hazardous to public health and the environment. There are 115 sites in New England and about 1,300 nationwide, according to Larry Brill, EPA chief of Superfund sites for the New England region.
It can take as long as 20 years to determine the best remedy for a site, and many are never deemed truly "clean."
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Lawsuit Over Contamination of NY Wells is Halted
August 8, 2010 - A lawsuit brought by homeowners who contend their properties were contaminated by chemicals dumped by the Hopewell Precision sheet metal factory has been withdrawn, a member of the homeowners' group said.
Debra Hall, president of the Hopewell Junction Citizens for Clean Water, said lawyers retained to bring the suit had determined such an action was "not economically feasible."
Hall said the attorneys, Gerry Williams of Philadelphia and Ellen Relkin of New York City, sent a letter to the homeowners' group saying they had determined Hopewell Precision did not have sufficient assets to cover "the extraordinary cost to get to a verdict" in a civil trial.
Attempts to reach officials at Hopewell Precision on Friday were unsuccessful.
Federal environmental officials determined about 20 homes in the neighborhood, most of them on Creamery Road, had wells contaminated by the chemical trichloroethylene or TCE. The homeowners contend the TCE had been dumped by Hopewell Precision in the 1970s. The EPA in 2003 provided funding for water and air filtration systems in the affected residents' homes.
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Debra Hall, president of the Hopewell Junction Citizens for Clean Water, said lawyers retained to bring the suit had determined such an action was "not economically feasible."
Hall said the attorneys, Gerry Williams of Philadelphia and Ellen Relkin of New York City, sent a letter to the homeowners' group saying they had determined Hopewell Precision did not have sufficient assets to cover "the extraordinary cost to get to a verdict" in a civil trial.
Attempts to reach officials at Hopewell Precision on Friday were unsuccessful.
Federal environmental officials determined about 20 homes in the neighborhood, most of them on Creamery Road, had wells contaminated by the chemical trichloroethylene or TCE. The homeowners contend the TCE had been dumped by Hopewell Precision in the 1970s. The EPA in 2003 provided funding for water and air filtration systems in the affected residents' homes.
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Residents Skeptical of DuPont's Bid for Permit Change in Pompton Lakes, NJ Cleanup
August 6, 2010 - DuPont has asked the state to alter a key permit for its cleanup of contaminated groundwater in Pompton Lakes, a move that some residents and environmentalists say could reduce the public's oversight of DuPont's cleanup efforts.
The permit is tied to a pump-and-treat system that DuPont installed in 1998 to remove the toxic solvents PCE and TCE from groundwater under the company's property and halt its spread as a contaminated groundwater plume under neighboring homes.
The solvents have been linked in studies to certain cancers, and last winter a state study found elevated levels of those cancers among residents in the neighborhood above the contaminated groundwater plume, though the state could not conclusively link the higher levels to the plume.
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The permit is tied to a pump-and-treat system that DuPont installed in 1998 to remove the toxic solvents PCE and TCE from groundwater under the company's property and halt its spread as a contaminated groundwater plume under neighboring homes.
The solvents have been linked in studies to certain cancers, and last winter a state study found elevated levels of those cancers among residents in the neighborhood above the contaminated groundwater plume, though the state could not conclusively link the higher levels to the plume.
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Chemical Cleanup Underway at North Andover, MA Plaza
August 7, 2010 - Work is underway to remove chemicals in the soil below North Andover Plaza that leaked from a dry cleaning business there.
A patch of ground below Ace Cleaners, 66 Peters St., is believed to be the origin of contamination, according to a cleanup plan on file with the North Andover Health Department.
Located at the intersection of Route 114 and Peters Street, the plaza is also home to five other businesses — Rocky's Ace Hardware, Panera Bread, Burger King, Den Rock Wine & Spirits and Supercuts. There is also a Bank of America ATM adjacent to the dry cleaner.
Soil tests below the businesses and plaza parking lot have detected the solvents tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene, according to the cleanup plan.
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A patch of ground below Ace Cleaners, 66 Peters St., is believed to be the origin of contamination, according to a cleanup plan on file with the North Andover Health Department.
Located at the intersection of Route 114 and Peters Street, the plaza is also home to five other businesses — Rocky's Ace Hardware, Panera Bread, Burger King, Den Rock Wine & Spirits and Supercuts. There is also a Bank of America ATM adjacent to the dry cleaner.
Soil tests below the businesses and plaza parking lot have detected the solvents tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene, according to the cleanup plan.
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El Toro's Unwanted Legacy: Toxic Chemicals
August 6, 2010 - At night, the former base takes on the appearance of a ghost town. With the power to buildings cut off and hundreds of dilapidated buildings still standing, moonlight can play tricks on your mind. Shadows move or seem to move and it doesn’t take too long before normally rational people see things that are not there.
Placed on the National Priority List (EPA Superfund) in 1990 as a result of a trichloroethylene (TCE) plume spreading into Orange County, it was only a matter of time before El Toro was closed. The Navy’s investigation identified 25 contaminated sites on the base, 11 of them were in the most industrialized southwest quadrant where the Marine transport aircraft were serviced in two huge maintenance hangars.
In the 1960s, the hangars were used to maintain the aircraft, primarily C-130s, R4Ds (or C-54s), and several R5Ds (C-47s or Dakotas). The R5Ds and R4Ds were WWII aircraft while the C-130s were the state-of-art transport aircraft in the 1960s. All of these multi-engine transports used an extensive amount of TCE as a degreaser. At one time, El Toro ran a “kind of drying cleaning like operation for aircraft parts.” using 55 gallon drums of TCE hoisted by crane and dumped into a heated vat. Parts were dipped into the vat and just like in your neighborhood cleaners, out came the formerly greased parts, now pristine and ready for use.
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Placed on the National Priority List (EPA Superfund) in 1990 as a result of a trichloroethylene (TCE) plume spreading into Orange County, it was only a matter of time before El Toro was closed. The Navy’s investigation identified 25 contaminated sites on the base, 11 of them were in the most industrialized southwest quadrant where the Marine transport aircraft were serviced in two huge maintenance hangars.
In the 1960s, the hangars were used to maintain the aircraft, primarily C-130s, R4Ds (or C-54s), and several R5Ds (C-47s or Dakotas). The R5Ds and R4Ds were WWII aircraft while the C-130s were the state-of-art transport aircraft in the 1960s. All of these multi-engine transports used an extensive amount of TCE as a degreaser. At one time, El Toro ran a “kind of drying cleaning like operation for aircraft parts.” using 55 gallon drums of TCE hoisted by crane and dumped into a heated vat. Parts were dipped into the vat and just like in your neighborhood cleaners, out came the formerly greased parts, now pristine and ready for use.
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Fed Plan on Quanta Superfund Site in Edgewater, NJ Called a 'Band Aid Approach'
August 2, 2010 - The federal government plans to entomb much of the pollution at the Quanta Superfund site in Edgewater, drawing criticism Monday from environmentalists who called it a "Band Aid approach" to cleaning one of the most toxic sites in North Jersey.
A 70-page report from the Environmental Protection Agency calls for coal tar, arsenic and other potential cancer-causing contaminants at the River Road site to be solidified into impermeable underground blocks using techniques similar to mixing concrete.
An EPA spokeswoman said it was the best alternative since excavating soil and groundwater would be a long, costly process. It would require 12,000 trucks to haul the contamination from the former waste oil processing facility on the banks of the Hudson River and it could pollute the air in the densely-packed borough.
But environmentalists said the plan fell short of a true cleanup.
"If I lived in Edgewater, I’d be livid," said Gil Hawkins, environmental director of the Hudson River Fisherman’s Association. "This is a Band Aid approach. If they don’t remove the pollution, it’s not clean. It’s still a contaminated site."
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A 70-page report from the Environmental Protection Agency calls for coal tar, arsenic and other potential cancer-causing contaminants at the River Road site to be solidified into impermeable underground blocks using techniques similar to mixing concrete.
An EPA spokeswoman said it was the best alternative since excavating soil and groundwater would be a long, costly process. It would require 12,000 trucks to haul the contamination from the former waste oil processing facility on the banks of the Hudson River and it could pollute the air in the densely-packed borough.
But environmentalists said the plan fell short of a true cleanup.
"If I lived in Edgewater, I’d be livid," said Gil Hawkins, environmental director of the Hudson River Fisherman’s Association. "This is a Band Aid approach. If they don’t remove the pollution, it’s not clean. It’s still a contaminated site."
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SC Family Told to 'Avoid the Water' Being Pumped Into Their Home
August 5, 2010 - Dry cleaning soaps, degreasers, a total of ten toxic chemicals all found in one family's drinking water in Clover.
A few years ago Judy Miller and her husband had their 40-year-old home's plumbing redone.
"It was around that time I first noticed this chemical smell," said Miller.
Miller thought the cause of the smell was from the new pipes. She had the Department of Health and Environmental control test the water. The results were clear, but the smell remained.
"I got used to it and then it got a little worse and I started buying bottled water," said Miller.
So she called DHEC again to test the water one more time. Those results were scary.
"Do not come in contact with the water, do not drink it, do not bathe in it. Use it for toilet flushing only," Miller says she was told when the results came back.
The test said there were high levels of chemicals in the well water.
"TCE's is what they call them," said Miller.
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A few years ago Judy Miller and her husband had their 40-year-old home's plumbing redone.
"It was around that time I first noticed this chemical smell," said Miller.
Miller thought the cause of the smell was from the new pipes. She had the Department of Health and Environmental control test the water. The results were clear, but the smell remained.
"I got used to it and then it got a little worse and I started buying bottled water," said Miller.
So she called DHEC again to test the water one more time. Those results were scary.
"Do not come in contact with the water, do not drink it, do not bathe in it. Use it for toilet flushing only," Miller says she was told when the results came back.
The test said there were high levels of chemicals in the well water.
"TCE's is what they call them," said Miller.
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DEP Announces More Limerick, PA Well Pollution
August 5, 2010 - The state has sampled the wells of nearly 80 homes in the northeast section of the township in recent months after samples from 21 wells were found to be contaminated with dangerous chemicals.
Tuesday night, residents of that area packed the Board of Supervisors meeting to hear officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection explain how they found out about the contamination and what they intend to do about it.
The area of contamination, which the DEP has labeled the Landis Creek project, is roughly bounded by Ridge Pike to the south, Sunset Road to the west, Graterford Road to the north and Township Line Road to the east.
It is separate and distinct from a contamination problem that made headlines earlier this year in the southern portion of the township. Two local businesses — Teleflex and the former Stanley Works tool plant — are believed to be the source of that previously revealed contamination.
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Tuesday night, residents of that area packed the Board of Supervisors meeting to hear officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection explain how they found out about the contamination and what they intend to do about it.
The area of contamination, which the DEP has labeled the Landis Creek project, is roughly bounded by Ridge Pike to the south, Sunset Road to the west, Graterford Road to the north and Township Line Road to the east.
It is separate and distinct from a contamination problem that made headlines earlier this year in the southern portion of the township. Two local businesses — Teleflex and the former Stanley Works tool plant — are believed to be the source of that previously revealed contamination.
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Contaminated Byram Properties May Be Eligible For Superfund Money
August 4, 2010 - Eighteen homes between the East Brookwood section of Byram and Sparta-Stanhope Road are contaminated with tricloroethylene.
Mel Hauptman from the Environmental Protection Agency Superfund explained what tricloroethylene is at a public meeting on July 29. He said it is a known hazardous substance commonly used as a solvent to remove oil and grease from metal and machinery. It's also used in spot removers and adhesives. It dissolves in water and can travel as a plume in underground aquifers for long periods of time. Tricloroethylene evaporates from surface water relatively quickly, producing hazardous fumes.
According to the EPA's Web site, possible health effects range from nausea and headaches to liver damage, heart conditions, various cancers, impaired fetal development and death.
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Mel Hauptman from the Environmental Protection Agency Superfund explained what tricloroethylene is at a public meeting on July 29. He said it is a known hazardous substance commonly used as a solvent to remove oil and grease from metal and machinery. It's also used in spot removers and adhesives. It dissolves in water and can travel as a plume in underground aquifers for long periods of time. Tricloroethylene evaporates from surface water relatively quickly, producing hazardous fumes.
According to the EPA's Web site, possible health effects range from nausea and headaches to liver damage, heart conditions, various cancers, impaired fetal development and death.
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Enbridge Offers to Buy 200 Michigan Oil Spill Homes; Evacuation, Restrictions Still in Place
August 4, 2010 - The oil spill in Marshall that dumped over one million gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River has been contained, reported the Environmental Protection Agency earlier this week, but cleanup will likely take months.
Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties have not yet lifted restrictions on the river area: signs are posted along the riverbanks prohibiting all swimming, boating and fishing; the water is not to be used for irrigation or water for animals; and residents are still encouraged to stay away from the area as much as possible due to benzene levels in the air.
For area dog owners, this may mean finding a new place for daily walks or even boarding the dog elsewhere until the restrictions are lifted. The 61 homes surrounding the original spill area are still under a voluntary evacuation order.
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Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties have not yet lifted restrictions on the river area: signs are posted along the riverbanks prohibiting all swimming, boating and fishing; the water is not to be used for irrigation or water for animals; and residents are still encouraged to stay away from the area as much as possible due to benzene levels in the air.
For area dog owners, this may mean finding a new place for daily walks or even boarding the dog elsewhere until the restrictions are lifted. The 61 homes surrounding the original spill area are still under a voluntary evacuation order.
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MD Wells Run Hit With Oil Contamination
August 3, 2010 - The scent on Tuesday afternoon in the air along Wells Run stream was not that of wildflowers or mosses growing on rocks but that of gasoline.
It may be due to the roadwork along Adelphi Road, but some of it can be attributed to the oil that spilled into the creek over the weekend.
For most of Monday and Tuesday afternoon, a small crew from Marcor Environmental, a private company tasked to clean up the spill, could be seen in white uniforms placing oil-absorbent sheets into Wells Run.
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It may be due to the roadwork along Adelphi Road, but some of it can be attributed to the oil that spilled into the creek over the weekend.
For most of Monday and Tuesday afternoon, a small crew from Marcor Environmental, a private company tasked to clean up the spill, could be seen in white uniforms placing oil-absorbent sheets into Wells Run.
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Honeywell Tests For Possible Contamination In Soil, Groundwater
August 3, 2010 - For years, residents and city officials have wondered what may have leaked from industrial sites in Spring Valley near St. Anthony’s Church. Now, the site’s current owners have begun testing soil and groundwater near the site to find out — but residents remain in the dark.
The city council on Monday approved a request from MACTEC Engineering and Consulting Inc. of Traverse City, Mich. to complete up to eight soil borings in the Ladd Road right-of-way in the vicinity of Third and Fourth streets. That's a short distance from the Honeywell plant (formerly known as Hobbs) and the location of former Bassick plating operations at U.S. 6/Route 89 and Strong Avenue. Before 2002, the neighboring sites were a single piece of property owned by the same company.
On Monday, city superintendent John Schultz told the city council that the current owner of the Honeywell property had performed tests in a roadside ditch near the property and had found some contaminants. City engineer Jack Kusek said this morning the tests are "just part of their ongoing testing program." The company wanted to test the Ladd Road right-of-way "to keep checking how well they’re cleaning up the groundwater," Schultz said.
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The city council on Monday approved a request from MACTEC Engineering and Consulting Inc. of Traverse City, Mich. to complete up to eight soil borings in the Ladd Road right-of-way in the vicinity of Third and Fourth streets. That's a short distance from the Honeywell plant (formerly known as Hobbs) and the location of former Bassick plating operations at U.S. 6/Route 89 and Strong Avenue. Before 2002, the neighboring sites were a single piece of property owned by the same company.
On Monday, city superintendent John Schultz told the city council that the current owner of the Honeywell property had performed tests in a roadside ditch near the property and had found some contaminants. City engineer Jack Kusek said this morning the tests are "just part of their ongoing testing program." The company wanted to test the Ladd Road right-of-way "to keep checking how well they’re cleaning up the groundwater," Schultz said.
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DEP Worried About PA Well Contamination
August 2, 2010 - The Department of Environmental Protection is testing the wells of more private homes in Plumstead Township, Bucks County, after tests showed that four wells are contaminated.
The problem is located, so far, on Ann Drive just off Stump Road, near the Plumstead Municipal Building. But the problem could be considerable more widespread than that.
So what is going on in Plumstead Township? On June 29th there was an enormous warehouse fire that, at the time, there was concern about chemicals inside. But on Monday authorities say they were non-toxic food additives.
But Stephanie and Rob Bradley, who live nearby, say something in the runoff of the fire has contaminated their well water.
"I went to mix a bottle for my son and noticed that the water smelled and had a color tinge to it," said Stephanie.
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The problem is located, so far, on Ann Drive just off Stump Road, near the Plumstead Municipal Building. But the problem could be considerable more widespread than that.
So what is going on in Plumstead Township? On June 29th there was an enormous warehouse fire that, at the time, there was concern about chemicals inside. But on Monday authorities say they were non-toxic food additives.
But Stephanie and Rob Bradley, who live nearby, say something in the runoff of the fire has contaminated their well water.
"I went to mix a bottle for my son and noticed that the water smelled and had a color tinge to it," said Stephanie.
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Industrial Chemicals Found in Clover, SC Area Well Water
August 1, 2010 - The 75 acres at the edge of Clover where the Miller family has lived since the 1700s has seen nothing but sweet potato and alfalfa crops and a few houses surrounded by woods.
Being so isolated, Judy Miller and her husband Ralph never suspected the chemical smell in their well water came from high concentrations of toxic, industrial chemicals.
In June, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control tested their well water, finding ten chlorinated solvents commonly used in dry cleaning, degreasers and other industrial cleaners. Four of the solvents exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency's standards for maximum contaminant levels in drinking water and one, tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, was found in concentrations more than 6,000 times what is considered safe for drinking water.
"I guess I was so naive to think that someone would dump something so terrible," Judy Miller said.
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Being so isolated, Judy Miller and her husband Ralph never suspected the chemical smell in their well water came from high concentrations of toxic, industrial chemicals.
In June, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control tested their well water, finding ten chlorinated solvents commonly used in dry cleaning, degreasers and other industrial cleaners. Four of the solvents exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency's standards for maximum contaminant levels in drinking water and one, tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, was found in concentrations more than 6,000 times what is considered safe for drinking water.
"I guess I was so naive to think that someone would dump something so terrible," Judy Miller said.
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Radioactive Wells Pose Bigger Risks in New Jersey
July 26, 2010 - Radioactivity levels in state drinking water wells are much higher than previously known and at-risk wells cover a bigger slice of the Garden State, according to agency documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Despite significant adverse public health implications of the findings, the state has not taken steps to alert or protect affected populations.
Naturally occurring radiation has long been a known presence in New Jersey's well water. But, according to new scientific findings presented at the May 7, 2010 meeting of the state Drinking Water Quality Institute (DWQI), the extent and depth of radioactivity levels are grounds for renewed concern
A February 2009 DWQI report estimated that more than 211,000 people are exposed to an individual cancer risk which is 600 times the acceptable risk level. DWQI recommended that the state adopt a drinking water MCL for radon 222 but it was not acted upon and no follow-up action is scheduled.
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Naturally occurring radiation has long been a known presence in New Jersey's well water. But, according to new scientific findings presented at the May 7, 2010 meeting of the state Drinking Water Quality Institute (DWQI), the extent and depth of radioactivity levels are grounds for renewed concern
A February 2009 DWQI report estimated that more than 211,000 people are exposed to an individual cancer risk which is 600 times the acceptable risk level. DWQI recommended that the state adopt a drinking water MCL for radon 222 but it was not acted upon and no follow-up action is scheduled.
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DNR to Investigate Well Contaminations in Rogersville, MO
July 26, 2010 - State investigators will be in the Rogersville area this week sampling new locations to help determine the source of a chemical degreasing agent that has polluted at least 13 wells.
Renee Bungart, spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, said the agency will take samples from a former dry-cleaning business at Compass Plaza and the former Positronic electrical component manufacturing site east of the post office.
DNR staff will also collect samples around the former ice storm debris burn area, three additional wells around Industry Road that serve businesses and from additional springs in the area as part of the inquiry, Bungart said.
While the department has not been able to narrow down the potential source of trichoroethylene (TCE) contamination, Bungart said more sampling this week will help the department learn additional information.
According to DNR, out of 121 wells sampled to date, 13 have tested positive for TCE.
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Renee Bungart, spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, said the agency will take samples from a former dry-cleaning business at Compass Plaza and the former Positronic electrical component manufacturing site east of the post office.
DNR staff will also collect samples around the former ice storm debris burn area, three additional wells around Industry Road that serve businesses and from additional springs in the area as part of the inquiry, Bungart said.
While the department has not been able to narrow down the potential source of trichoroethylene (TCE) contamination, Bungart said more sampling this week will help the department learn additional information.
According to DNR, out of 121 wells sampled to date, 13 have tested positive for TCE.
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Polluted Water Found Statewide
July 26, 2010 - Three months ago, environmental regulators in Delaware received a blunt warning from the Environmental Protection Agency after workers in Dover drilled a deep test well where federal investigators were tracking shallow groundwater pollution.
Check first before drilling, the EPA said, or pay the price for endangering the public’s water.
The letter warned that the drilling might allow the "extensive" contamination to leak into "deeper water-bearing zones used by the City of Dover for drinking water."
At issue are toxic chemicals spreading underneath one of the most iconic spots in Delaware – The Green, a town square where Caesar Rodney and other signers of the Declaration of Independence once gathered and political life in Delaware still thrives.
Today, docents in period costume lead tours on the brick walkways and lush lawns near the General Assembly. Crowds gather on The Green for summer concerts, in some places just 26 feet above soils tainted by the residues of coal, gas and dry-cleaning solvents.
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Check first before drilling, the EPA said, or pay the price for endangering the public’s water.
The letter warned that the drilling might allow the "extensive" contamination to leak into "deeper water-bearing zones used by the City of Dover for drinking water."
At issue are toxic chemicals spreading underneath one of the most iconic spots in Delaware – The Green, a town square where Caesar Rodney and other signers of the Declaration of Independence once gathered and political life in Delaware still thrives.
Today, docents in period costume lead tours on the brick walkways and lush lawns near the General Assembly. Crowds gather on The Green for summer concerts, in some places just 26 feet above soils tainted by the residues of coal, gas and dry-cleaning solvents.
More...
Illinois Tougher Than Feds on Water Contamination
July 25, 2010 - Tucked in the southeastern suburbs of Cook County, there is a town on the brink of a budgetary disaster.
But a $2 million budget hole is the least of its worries.
A chemical has leached into a well in Sauk Village.
It's the same chemical that surfaced in a deep well in the scandal-marred village of Crestwood.
Because of the misdeeds uncovered in Crestwood, stricter state laws aimed at preventing another similar scandal and informing the public of contamination sooner were what led to the state clamping down on Sauk Village's use of the well.
The water contamination in Sauk Village is vastly different than that of Crestwood - the former stopped using the tainted well after alerted to its contamination and took it offline for public supply. Water samples have since come up clean.
Crestwood officials, however, were found to have kept use of that community's well as a portion of the village's total water supply hidden from regulators who had rendered it unsafe years before.
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But a $2 million budget hole is the least of its worries.
A chemical has leached into a well in Sauk Village.
It's the same chemical that surfaced in a deep well in the scandal-marred village of Crestwood.
Because of the misdeeds uncovered in Crestwood, stricter state laws aimed at preventing another similar scandal and informing the public of contamination sooner were what led to the state clamping down on Sauk Village's use of the well.
The water contamination in Sauk Village is vastly different than that of Crestwood - the former stopped using the tainted well after alerted to its contamination and took it offline for public supply. Water samples have since come up clean.
Crestwood officials, however, were found to have kept use of that community's well as a portion of the village's total water supply hidden from regulators who had rendered it unsafe years before.
More...
Special Report: Delaware Drinking Water at Risk
July 25, 2010 - Tainted groundwater is spreading across thousands of acres in northern Delaware and has reached the Potomac Aquifer, which supplies drinking water to people across much of Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey.
In some areas of the upper Potomac near Delaware City and New Castle, concentrations of benzene, vinyl chloride and chlorinated benzenes are so high that exposure poses an immediate health threat. Elevated levels of these industrial byproducts significantly increase the risks of cancer. Sustained exposure could kill.
Northern Delaware is home to some of the worst chemical dumping grounds in America, a legacy of broken promises and corporate misdeeds. Regulators working for Delaware and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have long claimed that the deep clay layers above the aquifer protected it from the foul waters discharged by chemical and petroleum manufacturers.
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In some areas of the upper Potomac near Delaware City and New Castle, concentrations of benzene, vinyl chloride and chlorinated benzenes are so high that exposure poses an immediate health threat. Elevated levels of these industrial byproducts significantly increase the risks of cancer. Sustained exposure could kill.
Northern Delaware is home to some of the worst chemical dumping grounds in America, a legacy of broken promises and corporate misdeeds. Regulators working for Delaware and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have long claimed that the deep clay layers above the aquifer protected it from the foul waters discharged by chemical and petroleum manufacturers.
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