Eastern Seaboard Superfund Sites Spread Worries in Wake of Sandy

By: Duane Craig
Wherever Hurricane Sandy traveled over land and along waterfronts, the risks of all types of contamination increased. From every minor little spill to major stockpiles of contaminated land waiting for shipment to disposal facilities, the possibility increased dramatically for their contaminated payloads to be dislodged and spread around. But perhaps the potential largest threats came from Superfund sites in New Jersey and New York.

Residents in Brooklyn, N.Y. with properties near Newtown Creek and the Gowanus Canal take great precautions as they clean up their properties, wearing masks and gloves, according to this article. That’s because the nearby Superfund sites, in the process of cleanup, still harbor a rich array of heavy metals and other serious environmental contaminants. The Environmental Protection Agency has so far given the sites passing grades in terms of potential effects on the health and lives of neighbors, however a disturbing trend of sewage contamination has no doubt added to the cleanup complexities. That sewage came from sewage treatment plants that were damaged or that lost power during the storm.

In New Jersey, with 111 Superfund sites - the most of any state, according to this EPA list - residents and cleanup crews may face bigger challenges. For example, the Rarity Bay Slag Superfund site released large enough quantities of lead onto the surrounding ground to warrant warnings being placed at a nearby playground. But even modern facilities, especially those handling petrochemicals, were damaged by the storm.

New Jersey has a concentration of petroleum industries and facilities. In one case, the storm tipped a fuel storage tank, causing it to spill more than 350,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the navigation channel between New Jersey and Staten Island. At a Kinder Morgan terminal, flooding water caused an empty tank to collide with one filled with biodiesel. The spill entered a nearby waterway, according to this report. Sampling and testing continue throughout the area affected by the storm surge.

Lake Michigan Contamination Investigation Leads to New Potential Sources

By: Duane Craig

Where Milwaukee meets Lake Michigan there is human sewage in the water, and there has been for years. What is new, though, is that the sewage might be coming from sources not previously investigated, and those sources might help to explain similar sewage contamination across the country.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Water Institute is studying the possibility that sewage along the city's waterfront is coming from residents' lateral sanitary sewage connections and not from overflows of the wastewater treatment plant, according to this article in WISN.com.

Milwaukee water contamination source still unknown

Crews are investigating the lateral lines that run from homes to the main sewer line to try to see if there are significant leaks at those locations. There are about 3,000 miles of those lines, though, so the city is requesting that residents flood their lawns with water, hoping that if there are leaks in the lateral lines, the fresh water will show up in the system near those lines that are leaking.

Residents, however, are not keen on the whole plan but stopped short of saying why, other than saying they did not see the sense in it. If the lateral lines are the source of the leaks that are contaminating the waterfront, then they would have to be repaired at homeowner expense because they are the responsibility of the homeowners. There is a possibility, however, that if the problems are widespread enough the city might be on the hook for the tab.

Seeping Waste Troubles NM. Mobile Home Park

March 1, 2010- Seeping sewage, tons of trash and exposed electrical wires are just some of the problems at a makeshift mobile home park in San Juan County. The Sheriff’s Department is familiar with the area, it’s known as the Canyon, and they receive calls for service at the property often.

Friday, a team of agencies including the Environment Department, the Sheriff’s Office and representatives from the electric and gas companies went out to the canyon to talk to the property owner. “While driving inside the canyon area itself we discovered a lot of leaking sewage," Environment Department Enforcement Officer Benny Kline said. “The quantity of solid waste that we've determined to be buried there is of great concern because it's like a small landfill.”

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