Page 4 • Wednesday , March 22 , 2017 • The Hammonton Gazette
Council ’ s expert says town can use Wells 1 and 3
COUNCIL , from Page 1 consultant Dr . Raymond Ferrara ,
of architecture , engineering and science consulting firm Kleinfelder gave a report showing that groundwater near those wells contained trace amounts of chemicals such as xylene and naphthalene .
Adjacent to the town ’ s water department was a MGP that , according to Ferrara , was operated approximately between 1903 and 1922 . In the early 20th century , coal was used to create gas , which was used for various utility purposes . After natural gas became more readily available , MGPs became obsolete and began shutting down across the country , Ferrara said .
Ferrara said one of the biggest issues associated with MGPs is the amount of coal tar and oily waste they produced as byproducts , which can cause contamination from hazardous chemicals like benzene , toluene , ethylbenzene , naphthalene and xylene . In a report that researched data from 1996 through 2015 , Ferrara observed the levels of these contaminants — some of which he said are carcinogens — throughout the depth of the ground beneath the former MGP site containing a coal tar plume .
With the remediation project currently in its final site work stages and the treatment of soil contamination completed , according to Councilman and Water and Sewer Committee chairman Steven Furgione , Ferrara ’ s report sought to find whether or not Wells 1 and 3 are ready to be turned on and what measures should be taken to ensure the water being pumped is clean and safe .
“ My job here is to assist you all in understanding the process you may want to go through as you proceed to turn on water supply Wells 1 and 3 ,” Ferrara said .
Ferrara said the coal tar plume is moving in a “ northeasterly direction ” away from Wells 1 and 3 and there is also a plume of naphthalene moving away from the MGP site .
The more than 20 years of data from the municipal water Ferrara studied observed 613 samples taken from monitoring wells and Wells 1 and 3 . Ferrara ’ s findings showed that benzene , which has a maximum contaminant level ( drinking-level criterion ) of one microgram per liter , was never found in any of the 613 samples ; toluene , which has a maximum contaminant level of 1,000 micrograms per liter , was never found ; ethylbenzene , which has a maximum contaminant level of 700 micrograms per liter , was never found ; xylene ( 1,000 micrograms per liter maximum contaminant level ) was detected at 1.5 micrograms per liter in June 2008 and naphthalene ( 300 micrograms per liter maximum contaminant level ) was detected at 2.8 micrograms per liter on July 28 , 1999 . Ferrara added that a second sample taken on July 28 , 1999 revealed no naphthalene .
According to the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA )’ s website , naphthalene is considered a possible human carcinogen . Data are insufficient for an assessment of the human carcinogenic potential of xylene [ s ] according to the EPA website .
Ferrara assured council that a large majority of the samples came back clean with the exception of drinkable levels of contaminants appearing occasionally , and the wells were not affected during this time period .
“ All this time , the wells were pumping water . So , it was pumping clean water and being provided to you all for drinking ,” Ferrara said .
Ferrara said the bulk of the contamination occurred about 60 feet below ground and is moving northeast . 150 feet below ground is a clay-like layer of soil ranging from four to 20 feet thick that is acting as an “ impenetrable barrier ” against any potential “ vertical contamination ” according to Ferrara .
According to Ferrara , the monitoring wells that were installed by South Jersey Gas are also about 150 feet below ground . He noted the town pumps water from as deep as 300-plus feet below ground . The clay layer is separating the point where the wells are taking water from where the plume is located , Ferrara said .
Ferrara admitted there is no data as to whether or not there is contamination between the clay layer and the drinking water wells , but he said there is no reason to believe there is . If contamination did somehow make it to and beyond the clay layer , Ferrara said it is likely degrading or significantly diluted . The testing wells that provided the results in his report do not go below the clay layer , he said .
Ferrara concluded by deeming Wells 1 and 3 safe to turn on again once the remediation project is completely finished .
“ There was virtually nothing detected in that groundwater . So , it ’ s logical to conclude that after remediation , things are only going to be better than they were before remediation . So , if it was safe to drink before the remediation , it should be safe to drink after the remediation ,” Ferrara said .
Ferrara recommended that pump tests be conducted on Wells 1 and 3 once back online to ensure shallow ground water is not being affected and pulled through the aquifer . South Jersey Gas , whom Mayor Stephen DiDonato said had no representatives present at the meeting , is currently developing a monthly , independent monitoring program for the wells that will take place for “ a year or two ,” according to Furgione .
Ferrara recommended the town use its own well-monitoring regimen of every week for the first two months Wells 1 and 3 are turned back on , monthly for about the next 10 months if nothing is detected and then quarterly thereafter .
Furgione said Wells 1 and 3 aren ’ t the town ’ s primary wells , and are only used based on the state of the town ’ s 425-million-gallon allotment for Wells 4 , 5 and 7 .
Furgione thanked Ferrara for his work and said it was a significant responsibility of council to make sure the situation was properly resolved and the water supply was safe , and said Ferrara was an essential part of the remediation project .
“ It ’ s a very big responsibility on the seven of us to turn these wells on and to be sure that they are indeed safe , and that ’ s why we brought in Dr . Ferrara … There are a lot of eyes watching this ... and that ’ s why I just wanted to bring it up here tonight . I appreciate your time ; I know this took a lot of work to prepare this . Like I said , it was a couple thousand pages of documents to get to this point and I want to thank you very much . We really appreciate it ,” Furgione said .
In other business , council held a public hearing for Ordinance # 007- 2017 , which discussed appropriating $ 2,250,000 for lighting improvement projects that would replace the town ’ s street lights with more energy-efficient , LED ( light emitting diode ) bulbs , and install several high-pressure sodium lighting fixtures at Hammonton Middle School ’ s William T . Capella Field and two soccer fields at the Hammonton Recreational Complex on Boyer Avenue . The ordinance would result in an estimated maximum amount of bonds and notes of $ 617,500 for the recreation field lighting projects and $ 1,520,000 for the street light replacement project , each during a period of usefulness of 15 years , according to the agenda .
Among those who spoke on behalf of Ordinance # 007-2017 was Environmental Commission chairman Daniel Bachalis , who urged council to review the possible health effects of LED street lighting .
Bachalis said he was concerned about blue-rich LED street lighting color temperature of 3,000 Kelvin ( K ) or more which the American Medical Association ( AMA ) has written about . According to Hammonton Public Works Manager / Business Administrator Jerome Barberio , 1,240 of the LED street lights would emit light at a color temperature between 3,166 and 3,363 K , with 32 expected to be in the 4,000 to 4,500 K range .
Resident Yuli Chew also spoke about Ordinance # 007-2017 during the meeting .
“ LED is a new technology saving a lot of energy , that ’ s fine , but the town had to come up with $ 1.5
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