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Army Will Pay $75 Million to Clean San Bernardino Water SAN BERNADINO, California, August 17, 2004 (ENS) - The city of San Bernardino will receive $69 million and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) $6.5 million from the U.S. Army, as part of a consent decree for the Newmark Groundwater Contamination Superfund site, located near San Bernardino, federal, state, and local officials said Friday.This consent decree resolves claims by the city of San Bernardino and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control against the U.S. Army over alleged groundwater contamination, and provides funds for the cleanup of the contamination. Signatories to the consent are the U.S. EPA, the Department of the Army, the city of San Bernardino, and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. The Newmark Groundwater Contamination site covers a portion of a groundwater aquifer used as a public water supply source for San Bernardino. Although the contamination is believed to date from World War II, the pollution was not discovered until 1980, when tests revealed the presence of chlorinated solvents, tetrachloroethylene (PCE), and trichloroethylene (TCE). More than 25 percent of the municipal water supply for the city of San Bernardino's 175,000 residents has been affected by the water contamination, which runs in two plumes under the Newmark site. Under the settlement agreement, the city will provide clean replacement water for area residents and prevent contamination from reaching downstream production wells, which affect over 800,000 people in several nearby counties. The city of Riverside, with a population of approximately 250,000, relies on wells downgradient from the Newmark plume for approximately 75 percent of its total water supply. The rapidly growing communities of Colton, Loma Linda, Fontana, Rialto, with approximately 115,000 people, and several unincorporated areas also use well water unprotected from the contamination. No alternative water sources currently are available. The city of San Bernadino is required to use most of the funds to operate and maintain the EPA's groundwater extraction and treatment remedies at the Newmark Groundwater Contamination Superfund Site for up to 50 years. The city of San Bernardino may use some of the funds to build additional treatment plants to expand its water delivery capacity. To provide clean drinking water, the EPA and the city of San Bernadino are drilling and developing five pumping wells, a five phase pipeline, five monitoring wells, a booster pump station and the expansion of the 19th Street Treatment Plant. The five pumping wells will pump the contaminated water up and into the underground pipeline, which carries the water to the 19th Street Treatment Plant. The plant will treat the water with the support of the additional 24 carbon filtering units that are part of the expansion. Some of the treated water will then be boosted by the pump station at Encanto Park to where it will be distributed by the San Bernadino Municipal Water District. "San Bernardino is an area of rapid expansion, which places huge demands on area water sources," said Wayne Nastri, EPA's regional administrator for the Pacific Southwest Region. "The EPA is pleased to be part of the team that is working to improve the water quality for generations to come." The EPA believes that a likely source of the contamination is a World War II Army Base which had been on 1,600 acres of leased land from 1942 until it was closed in 1947. The source investigation has been complicated by difficult geological conditions and the lack of good records of the Army activities.
Vieques Bomb Targets Proposed for Superfund Listing NEW YORK, New York, August 17, 2004 - The Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Area (AFWTA) on and around the islands of Vieques and Culebra, Puerto Rico used for live fire training for 100 years may soon be declared a Superfund site.Responding to the request of Puerto Rico Governor Sila Calderon, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Friday proposed to add the area to the list of the country's most contaminated hazardous waste sites. The listing would make the site eligible for federal cleanup funding. The Superfund law entitles each state to designate a single facility for inclusion on the National Priorities List without ranking it against other sites for its potential threat to people's health or the environment. In June 2003, Governor Calderon exercised Puerto Rico's one-time right to select its highest priority facility with the request to list areas of Vieques and Culebra. The U.S. Navy used the eastern portion of Vieques for training from the 1940s until it ceased operations there on May 1, 2003. Areas of Culebra were used for military exercises from 1902 until July 1975. Contaminants of the land and water resulting from these activities may include mercury, lead, copper, magnesium, lithium, perchlorate, TNT, napalm, depleted uranium, PCBs, solvents and pesticides, the EPA said. The EPA is seeking public comments on the proposed listing during the 60 day public comment period that began August 13. On May 30, the Committee for the Rescue and Developmnet of Vieques (CRDV) mobilized some 100 people in fishing boats to the bombed area to dramatize the urgent necessity for decontamination and the return of Vieques' lands to its people. Representatives of religious communities, labor and political leaders joined dozens of Vieques residents in the activity they called "The Return to the Camps," in reference to the civil disobedience camps that stopped the Navy bombing for a year following the death of local man David Sanes in April 1999. Protesters camped, demonstrated and were arrested repeatedly until the Navy agreed to cease the live fire practice in 2003. The Superfund listing proposal advanced by the EPA would separate the final decision on listing Culebra from the final listing of Vieques. The EPA said it will go forward with a final rule listing Vieques and postpone the final listing of Culebra to allow the completion of a Memorandum of Agreement between Puerto Rico and the Army. The terms or progress under such an agreement "may determine the point at which it may be appropriate to withdraw the proposal to list the Culebra areas," the EPA said. The government of Puerto Rico and the Army have begun discussions with the goal of reaching an agreement on the timely investigation and cleanup of Culebra through the Army's Formerly Used Defense Sites Exit EPA disclaimer program. The EPA is currently addressing contaminated areas on the eastern side of Vieques through a consent order with the Navy under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Under the order, the agency is overseeing the investigation of 12 contaminated areas outside of the live impact area, which was active when the order was signed, and has identified close to 40 additional areas of concern. EPA is also providing guidance on the Navy's investigation of potentially contaminated sites on the western end of Vieques to determine what cleanup actions are needed. The progress made on these investigations will be incorporated into the Superfund work. Detailed information on the proposed Superfund listing, including the Federal Register notice announcing the listing, supporting documents and instructions for submitting public comments, can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/p040813.htm
Explosives Pollute Wells Near Wisconsin Army Ammunition Plant MERRIMAC, Wisconsin, August 17, 2004 (ENS) - The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) has advised two families near Gruber’s Grove Bay to not use their water for cooking or drinking after test results showed a chemical used in the production of explosives in their wells.Analysis of their well water detected 2,6-dinitrotoluene (2,6-DNT), a compound that was used at Badger Army Ammunition Plant in the production of gun powder and rocket fuel, at concentrations above safe drinking water standards. The WDNR said that the wells are located southeast of the plant in the Water’s Edge subdivision, just north of Gruber’s Grove Bay on Lake Wisconsin. Both families have been offered bottled water by the U.S. Army. Sampling of the two wells in May and June 2004, found 2,6-DNT at concentrations of 0.06 to 0.07 parts per billion (ppb). The state Health Advisory Limit for 2,6-DNT is 0.05 ppb. Water in the subdivision’s other wells was tested and 2,6-DNT was not detected. While health officials said that these levels are not likely to cause adverse health effects, they have advised residents of these homes to not drink the water from their wells. DNT can affect the blood, nervous system, liver, kidneys, and male reproductive system in both humans and animals. DNT causes cancer in laboratory animals and is a suspected human carcinogen. Previous testing by the Army in December 2003 also found DNT above safe standards in two private wells located one-quarter mile south of Badger along Keller Road in the nearby township of Prairie du Sac. Testing was expanded in March 2004 to 91 private wells between Gruber’s Grove Bay and the northern edge of the village of Prairie du Sac. But any future testing must be requested by local residents. "The Army recently announced that it will discontinue testing your well unless you contact them and tell them you want them to keep testing it," said Laura Olah, Executive Director of Citizens of Safe Water Around Badger. The group is advising residents to request continued quarterly testing because contaminant levels often go up and down. "Ongoing testing is the best way to know exactly what is in your water and if levels are changing over time," Olah said. CSWAB, a community-led organization that has worked since 1990 to get Badger cleaned up and conserved as a green space, considers bottled water a stop-gap measure. "Bottled water does not stop exposure through inhalation and dermal exposure," Olah cautions. "Immediate steps are needed to ensure water is pure and completely free from these toxins." Local officials agree that the military should continue testing and providing bottled water until a long-term solution is found. On July 13, the Township of Prairie du Sac board passed resolution stating that "the U.S. Army should provide a permanent solution to guarantee groundwater and private water wells are clean and free from any contamination from Badger." Concerns about potential problems to the north have prompted action by the Merrimac Township board. On August 2, the town board passed a resolution urging the Army to begin private well testing in its jurisdiction.
California Fires Engulf Homes, Forests REDDING, California, August 17, 2004 (ENS) - A fire that started Saturday in the Shasta-Trinity area of northern California has burned more than 9,000 acres and destroyed 22 homes and two commercial properties. Located on both sides of Trinity Mountain, south of the community of French Gulch, the fire has made it necessary for French Gulch residents to evacuate their homse and take refuge in the Trinity High School.More than 2,230 firefighters are at the scene struggling to contain the flames. California Department of Forestry officials say the French fire has "continued potential to grow significantly" due to dry weather and extremely dry fuel conditions. Mineshafts and rattlesnakes are a hazard in the area. California Highway 299 is closed intermittently. Caltrans is escorting convoys of vehicles through the fire area. The cause of the French fire is still under investigation, but $3.4 million has been spent in firefighting costs to date. There are several fires burning in Shasta County, but at least one has been declared under control. Fire officials say the Bear fire, started by a spark from a lawnmower on August 11 is now 100 percent contained. Located in Jones Valley, the Bear fire forced local residents to flee their homes and take shelter in Bella Vista Elementary School, but that evacuation center has now been moved to Shasta College due to heavy clouds of smoke in the area. Returning residents will find 80 homes in ruins. The Bear fire cost $8.8 million to fight and charred more than 10,480 acres. For hundreds of Californians this week, their nightmare begins when a deputy pounds on the door and tells the people inside that they have two minutes to evacuate, a wildfire is coming. "It’s always frightening, but it doesn’t have to be confusing," said Jim Wright, chief of fire protection, California Department of Forestry. "Everyone should have an emergency evacuation plan and everyone in the family should know what to do." An emergency evacuation plan can be as simple as one piece of notebook paper with the following information, said Wright.
Pepsi of Tucson Ordered to Prevent Storm Water Pollution TUCSON, Arizona, August 17, 2004 (ENS) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered the Pepsi Bottling Co. of Tucson to comply with the federal Clean Water Act. An EPA contractor discovered the violations during a routine inspection in June.Failure to comply with the Clean Water Act or the EPA order could make Pepsi liable for civil penalties of up to $32,500 per day. The EPA order requires Pepsi to obtain an industrial storm water discharge permit; submit a storm water pollution prevention plan and a storm water monitoring plan; and clean up the facility to minimize pollutants in storm water runoff. "We are concerned that the facility has allowed polluted runoff to enter the Rodeo Wash," said Alexis Strauss, the EPA's Water Division director for the Pacific Southwest region. The Rodeo Wash flows to the Santa Cruz River, a tributary of the Gila River and the Colorado River. "To protect Tucson's waterways, Pepsi will need to promptly comply with the Clean Water Act and correct the problems at the plant," Strauss said. The company's facility lacks effective management practices or an adequate containment system, which allowed storm water to come into direct contact with industrial pollutants, such as oil and grease, from its truck fleet before entering municipal storm drains and the Rodeo Wash. The storm water pollution prevention plan required by the discharge permit, sets guidelines and best management practices to prevent storm water runoff from being contaminated by pollutants generated by the company's industrial activities. A storm water monitoring program is used to assess the types of pollutants getting into storm water from a facility and ensures the effectiveness of a pollution control program.
Asbestos Removal in Salt Lake City to Take 10 Weeks SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, August 17, 2004 (ENS) - Asbestos from the Vermiculite Mine in Libby, Montana is scattered across a power substation in Salt Lake City, Utah near where it was processed for 40 years, but it poses a risk of inhalation to passersby and workers in the area, and federally mandated cleanup started last week.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and PacifiCorp, formerly Utah Power and Light, have entered into a formal agreement covering the cleanup of asbestos contamination at PacifiCorp’s power substation at 333 West 100 South in downtown Salt Lake City. PacifiCorp will ensure excavation and proper disposal of approximately 3,900 cubic yards of asbestos contaminated dust and soil from the site. Clean up began August 11 and is expected to continue for 10 weeks. The excavations will be backfilled with clean soil and gravel, restoring the site to its preexisting condition. The work will be performed by licensed, experienced asbestos-removal contractors and all appropriate safety precautions will be taken, the EPA said. The substation will remain operational throughout the cleanup. Asbestos-bearing ore from the Libby mine was processed on a property right next to the substation from the early 1940s until the early 1980s, when the plant was shut down and relocated. Residues from that processing are still strewn across the substation's ground surface. Asbestos includes a number of naturally occurring fibrous silicate minerals that are mined for their useful properties such as thermal insulation, chemical and thermal stability and high tensile strength. Asbestos is made up of microscopic bundles of fibers that may become airborne when disturbed. These fibers may be inhaled into the lungs where they can cause significant health problems. Asbestos, a recognized human carcinogen, is known to cause lung cancer and mesothelioma, a lethal tumor of the lining of the chest and abdominal cavities. Exposure to asbestos can also cause asbestosis, a disease characterized by fibrotic scarring of the lung. Soil containing asbestos may pose a risk to the health and safety of people residing in contaminated areas and in the surrounding community.
ConocoPhillips Fined $485,000 for Cook Inlet Wastewater ANCHORAGE, Alaska, August 17, 2004 (ENS) - The oil giant ConocoPhillips has been fined $485,000 for violations of the Clean Water Act at its Tyonek natural gas platform in Upper Cook Inlet between Kenai and Anchorage, Alaska, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday.The company reported more than 470 violations to the EPA over the span of five years. All but six of the violations were failures to comply with the facility’s National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit which prescribes specific limits for certain pollutants to be discharged, as well as sampling and reporting requirements. The other six violations were for discharges not authorized by the permit. The company violated its allowable discharges of copper, total suspended solids, and biological oxygen demand. Copper is known to be toxic to marine organisms, including mussels and crabs, and can accumulate in oysters. Permit limits on biological oxygen demand are intended to reduce the oxygen demand of the sanitary waste discharges in order to ensure adequate dissolved oxygen is available for sealife in the surrounding waters. This permit also requires that the facility disinfect its discharges with chlorine. However the ConocoPhillips facility often failed to meet its chlorine treatment requirements, the EPA said. ConocoPhillips has corrected the problems at the platform, so the EPA is not demanding that any further action be taken at the facility. "While we are disappointed that so many violations occurred over such a long time, the EPA is pleased with the cooperation exhibited by ConocoPhillips," said Mike Bussell, director of the EPA’s Office of Enforcement in Seattle. "The company reported its violations to us and then corrected the problems. That’s the way it should work." According to the latest Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) figures issued in June, Cook Inlet continues to lead the state of Alaska in non-mining, manufacturing related toxic discharges, with more than 1.9 million pounds of toxic pollution released to the region’s land, air and water. Due to reporting limitations, this figure does not include the billions of gallons of toxic production and drilling wastes from Cook Inlet oil and gas production operations. "The TRI helps citizens learn about toxic chemicals in their communities, and it has motivated various industries to decrease their toxic emissions," said Cook Inlet Keeper Bob Shavelson, who heads the conservation group. "Yet these TRI reports are only a small fraction of the actual toxic discharges to Cook Inlet. For example, they don’t include the billions of gallons of toxic pollution discharged each year into Cook Inlet by oil and gas production, spills, polluted run-off and sewage treatment plants."
Americans Invited to Help Clean Up the World NEW YORK, New York, August 17, 2004 (ENS) - Clean Up the World and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) are encouraging Americans to clean their own small part of the environment for 2004 Clean Up the World Weekend, September 17 to 19.Clean Up the World mobilizes over 30 million volunteers from more than 100 countries annually to clean up, fix up and conserve their local environment. Communities throughout the United States are encouraged to hold activities to raise awareness of how rubbish in the environment affects waterways, seas and oceans. Participation in Clean Up the World 2004 is expected to increase in states across the country this year over last. Clean Ups will take place along the shores of San Francisco Bay where volunteers will remove marine debris from the marsh, beach and picnic areas of China Camp State Beach. The area crossed by 22 miles of scenic trails within 1,640 acres of parkland. The Potomac River in Maryland is the wildest river running through a metropolitan area anywhere in the world and supplies fresh drinking water to more than 80 percent of residents in Washington, DC. Over 600 volunteers will collect waste and debris from several locations along the river. In the Cove Palisades State Park, Oregon, more than 150 volunteers will take part in the Lake Billy Chinook Day Clean Up event. Volunteers will focus on problems such as erosion, aquatic weeds and dump sites formed at the canyon confluence of the Metolius, Deschutes, and Crooked Rivers. Under the motto 'Bag it with Beckers!', volunteers in Portland, Oregon, are coordinating cleanups to remove debris along the Henry Hagg Lake shorelines. The lake, located in Scoggins Park, is inhabited by rainbow trout, small mouth bass, brown bullhead, and yellow perch. PA Cleanways Westmoreland County in Greensborough, Pennsylvania is organizing Clean Up events to combat littering and illegal dumping. The Clean Ups will focus on items that are difficult to dispose of such as yard waste, tires, batteries, appliances, paper, Christmas trees, and household hazardous waste. Graduate students in the Department of Biological Sciences at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, work to conserve the Birdsong Memorial Wetland throughout the year by removing rubbish and undertaking vegetation management activities. "It is important that everyone, from the East to West coast, helps reduce the impact of waste on the environment and the surrounding seas and oceans," said Ian Kiernan, an Australian who is founding chairman of Clean Up the World. Clean Up the World members become part of a UNEP endorsed global network of people and organizations concerned about the environment and receive information and materials to assist with the promotion and implementation of environmental activities. For more information about any of these activities or to register as a member visit: www.cleanuptheworld.org or contact world@cleanup.com.au.
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