| Groundwater contamination is deeper -- and increasing -- in Pompton Lakes |
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NORTHJERSEY.COM
Monday, January 25, 2010
Groundwater contamination beneath a Pompton Lakes neighborhood remains high — and is even increasing in some areas — more than 20 years after the pollution was discovered, according to a new report filed with the federal government. The report suggests three possible treatments that could address the groundwater pollution, but notes none would be put in place for two years because more study is required. The report is being reviewed by the EPA, which recently announced it will oversee cleanup of the site along with the state Department of Environmental Protection. The groundwater pollution, first detected in the early 1980s, includes the solvents PCE and TCE as well as other chemicals that DuPont used for decades at its munitions factory just north of the affected neighborhood. The solvents have been linked to kidney cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A recent state study found significantly elevated levels of these cancers among residents in the affected neighborhood. The toxic chemicals in the groundwater can vaporize through the soil and potentially seep into basements. "These are serious readings right in the neighborhood we live in," said Lisa Riggiola, a former borough councilwoman and a leader of the neighborhood advocacy group Citizens for a Clean Pompton Lakes. "How much longer will we have to live with this stuff?" The highest readings noted in the report show levels of cis-1,2 dichloroethene at 850 parts per billion, while the state threshold for acceptable levels is 70 ppb. Other readings show PCE at 260 ppb, while the state threshold is 1 ppb, and TCE at 100 ppb, while the state threshold is 1. "The levels DuPont is reporting are alarming numbers, but the situation may be far worse. Given the number of sick people in the neighborhood, how good is DuPont's data?" said Robert Spiegel, executive director of the Edison Wetlands Association, which is advising Riggiola's group. Distrust of the polluter's data "is not an uncommon concern. It's a logical thing to ask about," said David Kluesner, the EPA's liaison to Pompton Lakes. "But there are checks and balances, and the bottom line is the polluter is on the hook. They have a lot of incentive to do it right the first time." Kluesner acknowledged the level of distrust among Pompton Lakes residents and said he wants to form a community advisory group led by an independent facilitator to get the agencies, residents and DuPont to sit and discuss the issues. "We need a way to cut through the fears and regain the residents' trust," Kluesner said. "We're going to compile the questions and sort through the facts." The most immediate concern for human health risks and the potential for vapor intrusion into homes is the shallow groundwater, said Adolph Everett, chief of the EPA's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act program branch. The report singles out three possible treatments to use on the groundwater under the affected neighborhood. "No single remedial technology or alternative is capable of mitigating the mass of the [pollutants] over the entire offsite groundwater area" because of different soil conditions and terrain, the report says. 'Pump and treat' One of the treatments, called "pump and treat," involves sucking groundwater up through wells into a machine that can strip out the harmful pollutants. The treated water then gets pumped back into the ground, where it can move through the soil and help flush out other contaminants. DuPont has used a pump and treat system on its site for 11 years and it has reportedly removed 2,400 pounds of contaminants. The existing system "has ample capacity to accommodate additional groundwater," DuPont's report says. However, Richard W. Chapin, an environmental engineer and consultant for the neighborhood group, said pump and treat is not very effective, and often needs to stay in place for decades. In the neighborhood, pollutants have decreased in the intermediate band of soil, especially along Park Place south of Colfax Avenue. But that decrease did not start until six years after the pump and treat system was installed. The DuPont report notes that contamination concentrations at the southern DuPont property line, just north of the Valbrunna Steel building, "continue to increase despite the extraction of 57 gallons per minute of groundwater" over the past 11 years. Similar concentrations were seen at a deeper well monitoring in the same area, indicating "the deeper zones may contain higher masses" of pollutants, the report states. The rising levels of contamination in deeper soil layers measured at several wells is likely due to the introduction of clean water from the DuPont pump and treat system, which is pushing contaminants toward the monitoring wells, said DuPont spokesman Roberto C. Nelson. "It is not uncommon to see these types of changes in groundwater plumes and it is important to note that significant decreases were observed in the majority of the wells," Nelson said. Pump and treat might work best at a site in an open area with no immediate human health concerns, said the EPA's Everett. Bacteria is an option Another possible method would be anaerobic biological treatment. A product such as emulsified soybean oil would be injected into the plume to stimulate the growth of bacteria, which naturally break down the pollutants into non-dangerous elements. The pollutants are already breaking down this way beneath the DuPont property, the report says, most likely because of several treatment pools at the site that had been used to discharge the facility's wastewater, which included animal fats. The nutrient-rich waste supported speedy growth of bacteria in the soil near the pools. The biological treatment "is relatively simple to implement," the DuPont report says, but cautions that "due to the size of the offsite plume, there is significant uncertainty" about how well the injected liquids can reach all the contaminated area. And the deeper the contamination, the harder it is to reach. The soil layers containing groundwater run as deep as 165 feet in Pompton Lakes. "The deeper you go, the greater the concern that you can't get to all the contamination," Everett said. Another option would be in-situ chemical oxidation, which involves injecting oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide and potassium permanganate into the soil. These products would react directly with the pollutants and break them down. But while this treatment could offer a rapid and relatively low-cost solution, soil conditions could affect the success. More testing ahead "There's no one best way to treat groundwater contamination — the approach always has to be site specific," said Leonard Casson, an environmental engineering professor at the University of Pittsburgh. "When you have different soil types, it makes the problem infinitely more complex." The report concludes that to properly choose the best approach, DuPont will need to collect more water and soil samples and run pilot tests and lab studies. "DuPont has experience with all of the technologies proposed," said Nelson. "We believe enhanced biotreatment or chemical oxidation have proven results and the processes are the most well understood with respect to the creation of potentially harmful by-products." A final report with test results and recommendations could be submitted to the DEP by April 2011, and actual work to remove the contamination could start by December 2011. 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