Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
Letters reignite decade-old water contamination scare
By Julie Becker
Daily News staff writer
ROSCOE - The recent discovery of chemicals in two North Park Public Water District wells has brought back a contamination scare that's been going on for more than a decade.
The Winnebago County Health Department received notice from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Illinois Department of Health that tetrachloroethylene (PCE), a volatile organic compound (VOC), was found in levels that exceed the EPA's groundwater quality standards.
BTEX, a combination of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene that's found in petroleum products, was also discovered but at levels below EPA standards.
By requirement of the Right to Know law, the county health department issued a private water well advisory and sent letters to about 400 private well owners in the affected area, urging them to have their wells tested for chemicals.
Wells that may be at a higher risk for contamination fall in the following area: west of Willow Brook Road, east of the Rock River, north of Williams Drive and south of the intersection of North Second Street and Dry Creek.
That primarily includes private well owners in the Roscoe Township and areas under county jurisdiction. Residents receiving public water are not at risk.
“Those wells haven't been used in four years, and we notified authorities that we plan to abandon them,” said Dennis Leslie, general manager for North Park Public Water District. “None of our customers on public water supply are involved at all. We do water quality testing frequently.”
Leslie said the two wells were installed in the Hononegah State Subdivision and fall within the same problem area where the EPA discovered groundwater contamination during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
A contamination incident in 1998 also uncovered unsafe levels of similar chemicals that impacted residents in Evergreen Manor, Hononegah Heights, Olde Farm and Tresemer subdivisions.
The U.S. EPA examined several options in 1998 and 2003, and determined it could take up to 15 years of closely monitoring groundwater quality before the area fully cleaned itself up.
The solution was to switch customers in the area over to the public water supply, Leslie said, and it may be necessary to add additional public water lines if the problem continues to threaten private well owners in the future.
William Ryan, EPA remedial project manager for the Evergreen Manor site, said it's unclear whether this is the same contamination that plagued Roscoe residents in the past, or if it's coming from a new site.
“I don't know if anyone ever figured out what has caused the contamination in the North Park Water District,” Ryan said. “But the chemical levels at the original site are very low and we thought the contamination from that area was pretty much gone.”
Contamination in the past had extended from Route 251 and Rockton Road in Roscoe and down about two miles southwest to the Rock River. The current at-risk area appears to have expanded since then.
The next step in this round of ground-water contamination is for residents to have their wells tested. VOC testing kits have been available to well owners at the Roscoe Township office since Oct. 18, for a fee of $45.
Kits can be picked up from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Friday. They must be picked up by Oct. 27, and should be performed the morning of Oct. 30 and returned no later than 11 a.m. that day.
The tests will be sent to the Water Quality Laboratory in Ohio, and screened for the presence of PCE and about 40 other compounds, said Ruth Roth, groundwater coordinator for the county health department. Residents should have results mailed to their homes within two weeks.
Roth said about 200 people have picked up testing kits so far but, because the Ohio lab isn't EPA certified, others may be having their water tested by a number of private companies that are certified.
Roth said that to the health department's knowledge, any chemicals found in private wells would likely not be in life-threatening amounts and residents could continue drinking the water with little risk of harm. But she still advises private well owners in the affected area to take some precautions.
Infants, pregnant women and those with chronic diseases should refrain from drinking any water that may be contaminated. Those who continue drinking their water should absolutely not boil it before drinking.
“If there would be any chemicals in the water, boiling would concentrate those chemicals,” Roth said.
Roth also emphasized the importance of having water tested regularly, which would be the only line of defense for private well owners.
“A lot of people were upset about being notified, but when you're on a private water supply you are the only one testing your water quality,” Roth said. “If you own a well, you are responsible for it. No one else is protecting your water.”
Roth said it is important to have water tested annually for bacteria and nitrates, and about once every five years for VOC's and other chemicals.
To pick up a water testing kit, visit the Roscoe Township Office at 5792 Elevator Road or call (815)623-7323. For more information on the contamination, contact the Winnebago County Health Department at (815)720-4000 or the Illinois EPA at (217)782-5562.
Daily News staff writer
ROSCOE - The recent discovery of chemicals in two North Park Public Water District wells has brought back a contamination scare that's been going on for more than a decade.
The Winnebago County Health Department received notice from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Illinois Department of Health that tetrachloroethylene (PCE), a volatile organic compound (VOC), was found in levels that exceed the EPA's groundwater quality standards.
BTEX, a combination of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene that's found in petroleum products, was also discovered but at levels below EPA standards.
By requirement of the Right to Know law, the county health department issued a private water well advisory and sent letters to about 400 private well owners in the affected area, urging them to have their wells tested for chemicals.
Wells that may be at a higher risk for contamination fall in the following area: west of Willow Brook Road, east of the Rock River, north of Williams Drive and south of the intersection of North Second Street and Dry Creek.
That primarily includes private well owners in the Roscoe Township and areas under county jurisdiction. Residents receiving public water are not at risk.
“Those wells haven't been used in four years, and we notified authorities that we plan to abandon them,” said Dennis Leslie, general manager for North Park Public Water District. “None of our customers on public water supply are involved at all. We do water quality testing frequently.”
Leslie said the two wells were installed in the Hononegah State Subdivision and fall within the same problem area where the EPA discovered groundwater contamination during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
A contamination incident in 1998 also uncovered unsafe levels of similar chemicals that impacted residents in Evergreen Manor, Hononegah Heights, Olde Farm and Tresemer subdivisions.
The U.S. EPA examined several options in 1998 and 2003, and determined it could take up to 15 years of closely monitoring groundwater quality before the area fully cleaned itself up.
The solution was to switch customers in the area over to the public water supply, Leslie said, and it may be necessary to add additional public water lines if the problem continues to threaten private well owners in the future.
William Ryan, EPA remedial project manager for the Evergreen Manor site, said it's unclear whether this is the same contamination that plagued Roscoe residents in the past, or if it's coming from a new site.
“I don't know if anyone ever figured out what has caused the contamination in the North Park Water District,” Ryan said. “But the chemical levels at the original site are very low and we thought the contamination from that area was pretty much gone.”
Contamination in the past had extended from Route 251 and Rockton Road in Roscoe and down about two miles southwest to the Rock River. The current at-risk area appears to have expanded since then.
The next step in this round of ground-water contamination is for residents to have their wells tested. VOC testing kits have been available to well owners at the Roscoe Township office since Oct. 18, for a fee of $45.
Kits can be picked up from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Friday. They must be picked up by Oct. 27, and should be performed the morning of Oct. 30 and returned no later than 11 a.m. that day.
The tests will be sent to the Water Quality Laboratory in Ohio, and screened for the presence of PCE and about 40 other compounds, said Ruth Roth, groundwater coordinator for the county health department. Residents should have results mailed to their homes within two weeks.
Roth said about 200 people have picked up testing kits so far but, because the Ohio lab isn't EPA certified, others may be having their water tested by a number of private companies that are certified.
Roth said that to the health department's knowledge, any chemicals found in private wells would likely not be in life-threatening amounts and residents could continue drinking the water with little risk of harm. But she still advises private well owners in the affected area to take some precautions.
Infants, pregnant women and those with chronic diseases should refrain from drinking any water that may be contaminated. Those who continue drinking their water should absolutely not boil it before drinking.
“If there would be any chemicals in the water, boiling would concentrate those chemicals,” Roth said.
Roth also emphasized the importance of having water tested regularly, which would be the only line of defense for private well owners.
“A lot of people were upset about being notified, but when you're on a private water supply you are the only one testing your water quality,” Roth said. “If you own a well, you are responsible for it. No one else is protecting your water.”
Roth said it is important to have water tested annually for bacteria and nitrates, and about once every five years for VOC's and other chemicals.
To pick up a water testing kit, visit the Roscoe Township Office at 5792 Elevator Road or call (815)623-7323. For more information on the contamination, contact the Winnebago County Health Department at (815)720-4000 or the Illinois EPA at (217)782-5562.
 |
 |
|
| Area teachers receive Golden Apple nod | Stateline Area Briefs |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of beloitdailynews.com.
Submit a Comment
Login below to post your comment. |
Not yet a member? Use the form below to register. |
