EPA Finalizes Plan to Clean Up Contaminated Ground Water at Tri-Cities Barrel Superfund Site in Broome County, N.Y.
Release date: 10/20/2011 http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/5132A990C186059E8525792F00596107
Around the Tri-Cities Barrel Superfund Site in New York, the groundwater was found to be contaminated. The area which is 15 acres total in land was contaminated between 1960 and 1980 by the company. The company was using a series of harsh chemicals to restore and clean used barrels and drums. The chemicals used specifically for cleaning were making the groundwater and nearby lagoon extremely unclean. The EPA found out and forced the company to remove all contaminated drums, barrels, and any other items. The structures on-site were demolished and any left over debri was taken away to be disposed of. The question then became, "How do we decontaminate the groundwater and lagoon?" Members of the EPA came up with three options. They could either do nothing, take out the contaminants themselves by extracting the water and cleaning it, or let the contaminants break down naturally while being monitered. They decided in 2003that the best plan would be to take it out themselves. Today, the EPA has found that even without their efforts to take the contaminants, the contaminants were being brokem down naturally. This has become great news for the lagoon and groundwater and for environmental research. Now the EPA knows that this is another method that could very much be a successful way to decontaminate groundwater and other water sources in the future.
I think that this issue shouldn't have happened to begin with. It is a horrible thing that this company was using these harmful chemicals which hurt our environment. At the same time I think the issue could benefit us a lot now. Researches now know more about the way that groundwater can be cleaned naturally. I think this will help us in the future when things like this happen again. It is an issue that really hurt our environment, but might benefit us in the longrun. Hopefully, researches can come up with even more methods to decontamination knowing the outcome of the groundwater incident.
Questions:
1. Do you think that manually taking out the contaminants or letting them naturally break down is the better method?
2. How could the contaminated water effected humans and the species living in the ground?
3. What types of precautions could be made today, to make sure that a problem like this doesn't occur again?
It is really sad to see that a company would be so inconsiderate and use harmful chemicals when they are aware of the lagoon next to them, the amount of groundwater around them, and the effects the chemicals have on the environment. Thankfully, the EPA stepped in, or who knows how much damage and how contaminated the water would be. I drink a lot of water, and most of that comes from groundwater. I could not imagine if the water I drink on a daily basis was contaminated. I never really thought about how lucky I am to have clean water that is safe to drink. I think that people need to be more considerate and remember that we are all living on this planet, and if we are not careful, we will no longer have a home. It is important for big companies because usually, they pollute a lot. There needs to be more conservation efforts in order to make sure that groundwater stays clean for everyone who needs it. There should be more organizations like EPA who look out for the environment.
ReplyDeleteI think it depends on the circumstances in order to determine whether or not manually taking contaminants out is better than letting them naturally break down. If the method that would be used to take out the contaminants did not damage the situation any more than it already is. You would also have to look at how long it would take for the contaminants to break down. In most cicumstances, I think it would be best to manually take out the contaminants.
I am glad to hear that the EPA is cleaning the groundwater. From what I learned in class I know that the percentage of our fresh water is very low. Most of the fresh water we use comes from underground. So, I think it is very important to keep that water clean. I also think it is good that the EPA reacted right away to solve the problem. That let's us know that they are serious about protecting our environment. I was surprised to find out that people would do something that could affect them personally.
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This contamination would effect everything around it. If humans or animals were to drink the contaminated water I think they could get very sick. The water would almost be useless to us. And as I mentioned above, groundwater is a significant source of water to us and we need it to live. To make sure this does not happen again people should make sure that the chemicals that they are using, and the things that they are disposing will not affect the environment around them
I think that it is really dangerous that the ground water is becoming contaminated. There is a lot of salt water on the earth and a lot less fresh water. If we are losing sources of fresh water, then water may become nonrenewable. Water is needed for humans, animals and plants to survive and it is very important to keep large sources of fresh water like ground water uncontaminated.
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I think that places need to stop using certain chemicals that contaminates the ground water. Ground water is a very important source of fresh water and we definitely need it.
Summary:
ReplyDeleteIt is very terrible to see a company do such things to the environment. It is affecting everyone around and also the water supply. These harmful chemicals contaminating the water supply can have a huge affect on humans life. It is excellent that the EPA is helping clean out the groundwater, or otherwise, this issue could be a lot worse. Most of the water humans drink comes from groundwater. The groundwater is just purified so we are able to drink it. In other countries around the world, people do not have clean water to drink every day. We should be thankful that the EPA has stepped in and is helping the cause get better. Imagine if the EPA did not step in, people could by dying every day, and our world would be changed forever. Companies should be more careful about what they are doing to fix things, and they should consider what impact it has on the environment and daily lives. In science class, we were learning about how people impact cycles. This event could have had a major impact on the water cycle and how it functions. People should also be aware about what is going on and they should do something about it.
Expansion:
Answering a question
I strongly believe that manually taking out the contaminents is a better method than letting them break down. I think when you manually take them out, you can be sure that you got almost all of the chemicals. You can dissolve the chemicals when you manually take them out, so that there is a less chance of them coming back or spreading. If you let the chemicals dissolve, there could be a problem and they could actually keep spreading all throughout the water sources. I believe that manually taking out the chemicals is the best way of getting rid of them.
From,
Rohan Varma