City Pushing for Quicker Oil Cleanup

By: Nathan Lamb

Leaks from an old oil field are causing health concerns in California, and officials are hoping to spur quicker cleanup, according to this story from the Los Angeles Times.

The contamination—which includes the carcinogen benzene—was discovered in 2008 beneath Carson city's Carousel tract, which is now a residential area with 285 homes.

Cleanup is being handled jointly by state officials and the Shell Oil Company, and is not expected to get underway until next year.

The declaration of emergency was recently suggested by Carson's mayor, in an effort to spur more immediate action.

Shell has stated there is no immediate threat to public health. The company is currently doing vapor testing at area homes and is putting together a comprehensive cleanup plan.

Residents of the Carousel tract have been told to avoid exposed yard soils and to not eat home-grown fruits or vegetables.

According to a recent report from the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, the Carousel tract was a tank park used to store crude oil from 1920-1965. The study suggested that cracks and leaks in the concrete basins that contained the oil led to the contamination before the area was redeveloped in the late '60s.

The water control board study also found groundwater pollution in the area and crude oil in one local well, but no evidence of harmful vapors intruding into homes.

Carson is approximately 20 miles north of Los Angeles and has a population of roughly 91,000.

Mysterious Contaminant Shuts Down N.H. Wells

By: Nathan Lamb

A New Hampshire town is seeking relief from a mysterious contaminant that has shut down local wells for more than a year, according to this story from the Eagle Tribune.

The Town of Atkinson is eying a $3 million plan to extend water service to a cluster of 34 homes that have been without drinking water since 2011.

The wells are contaminated with 1,4-Diozane, a probable carcinogen that can also cause liver and kidney damage. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 1,4-Diozane is a synthetic industrial chemical that can quickly migrate through soil and groundwater.  The chemical is widely used for industrial processes, and can be found in paint strippers, dyes, greases, varnishes and waxes.

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Sciences (DES) is still seeking the source of the contamination, which so far has been restricted to a residential area off Emery and Belknap drives.

The DES—which currently provides residents with bottled water—announced that it will contribute up to $2 million to run water lines to effected homes. Town officials are mulling options to cover additional costs.

Located roughly 40 miles south east of Concord, New Hampshire, Atkinson has a population of approximately 6,100.

Lack of TCE Warning Has Residents Steamed

By: Nathan Lamb

A recently discovered cluster of contaminated wells has residents of Wake Forest, North Carolina asking why they weren’t warned about the problem in 2005, according to this NBC news story.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) testing over the past year has discovered the carcinogen trichloroethylene (TCE) in 21 wells across a 500-acre area around Stony Hill Road in the town of Wake Forest.

While the EPA has installed water filters to alleviate the problem, several residents were outraged to learn that the state discovered TCE contamination in a neighborhood well in 2005, but never alerted them.

The contamination is thought to date back 10 years, when TCE was used to clean circuit boards in a neighborhood shed.

The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which made the initial discovery, compiled an internal report saying the extent of the contamination was unclear and that other wells in the area should be tested.

A DENR spokesperson said the problem appeared to be confined to the single residential well, adding the agency has finite resources and higher-risk sites that took priority.

Last summer, the DENR advised area residents to get their water tested, and sought assistance from the EPA, which tested roughly 100 wells.

TCE is an industrial solvent that’s often used for degreasing. Improperly disposed of, it can create harmful vapors and migrate through groundwater.

Located roughly 18 miles northeast of Raleigh, Wake Forest has a population of roughly 31,000 people.

State to Test Well Water in Florida Community Where Residents Complain of 'Unusually' High Brain Cancer Rate

July 31, 2009 - The state Department of Environmental Protection says it will begin next week testing well water in a western Palm Beach County community where residents have complained about an unusually high number of brain cancer cases.

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