The groundwater in SIPCOT Industrial Area in Thoothukudi, which houses now-closed Sterlite Copper plant, is contaminated with high TDS and heavy metals like Lead which are beyond permissible limits for drinking water, the Centre said on Monday.
In response to a question by Rajya Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu Sasikala Pushpa on whether steps have been taken to check the nature of groundwater in Thoothukudi in the backdrop of anti-Sterlite agitation, the government said the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has carried out a study to ascertain the quality of groundwater in and around SIPCOT industrial area.
“The study indicates that most of the groundwater samples are contaminated with high TDS and heavy metals like Lead, Cadmium, Chromium, Manganese, Iron and Arsenic, which are beyond permissible limits of BIS Standards for drinking water (IS:10500 of 2012),” Union Minister of State for Water Resources Arjun Ram Meghwal informed the Rajya Sabha.
As per information received from the Central Pollution Control Board, the analysis of groundwater samples, from the Sterlite industrial unit, by the State Pollution Control Board, shows the presence of Iron, Lead, Fluoride, Cadmium and Nickel more than the permissible limit of BIS, said Meghwal.
The minister also said the Central & State Pollution Control Boards are controlling industrial pollution under the provision of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution), Act, 1974.
The statement by the minister assumes significance in the wake of assertions from Sterlite that it was in no way responsible for pollution in Thoothukudi.
Sterlite Copper was closed in May following protests that turned violent resulting in the death of 13 people in police firing.
Villagers in and around Sterlite have been demanding the closure of the plant alleging high levels of pollution and water contamination.

Natural sources of the toxic form of chromium appear in wells that provide drinking water to a large population in California, offering a new perspective on California’s groundwater management challenges.
(Image credit: Richard Thornton / Shutterstock) In a study that appeared online June 27 in Environmental Science & Technology, Stanford scientists used a statewide groundwater database and a new means of tracing sources to identify wells containing hexavalent chromium from industry versus those that became contaminated from naturally occurring sources – some of which may also have resulted from human activity.
“As we continue to push the need to use and manage groundwater, understanding how these naturally occurring contaminants can jeopardize water becomes really, really important.” Benign vs. toxic chromium The benign, natural form of the chemical, known as trivalent chromium, is needed to help people break down glucose.
(Image credit: Debra Hausladen and Scott Fendorf) The toxic form, hexavalent chromium, is very soluble and moves easily within the environment.
Industrial uses of hexavalent chromium include electroplating, steel manufacturing, leather tanning and wood treatment.
Drinking water that contains hexavalent chromium, also known as chromium-6 or Cr(VI), is considered a human health threat, increasing the risk for stomach and intestinal cancer.
Based on where they find the toxic form in the Central Valley and other regions, the study co-authors suspect human activities, such as groundwater pumping, could contribute to that transformation.
Of those, 15 percent contained higher levels of hexavalent chromium than the 2014 drinking water standard of 10 parts per billion.
The scientists determined which of the 234 other chemicals in the database were commonly found with hexavalent chromium and used that information to figure out where natural occurring chromium is threatening groundwater quality and which processes may be responsible.
“It’s really important to have this holistic view as we develop groundwater management strategies.” The researchers hope to create more detailed distribution maps of where naturally occurring contaminants can threaten groundwater and the pathways that would cause them to move into California’s water system.

An investigation into low levels of an industrial solvent found in two now-closed city wells is entering its next phase as investigators try to determine how the chemical contaminated the aquifer supplying Columbus’ drinking water.
Officials from Intera, a geoscience and engineering solutions company with offices in Bloomington, completed a report on the status of the city’s south wellfield, where wells 14 and 15 were shut down last October after 1,4 dioxane was detected.
Columbus is one of several Indiana cities that tested above the .35 parts per billion Environmental Protection Agency recommended limit for the solvent, testing at .48 parts per billion in the city water system in 2013.
Through a variety of testing options, Intera officials had new information for Columbus Utility Board members Thursday about where the 1,4 dioxane is in the aquifer supplying Columbus’ water.
But the company cannot yet say where the chemical originated or how far north or south it may have spread, only that it has been detected at the bottom of the aquifer between the wells and the river.
To test water in the aquifer, the company installed a network of monitoring test wells and did soil borings looking for the location of the chemical and how far it had spread.
However, the company concluded that the results indicated the contamination was higher near the river and originated east of wells 14 and 15, believed to be at the bottom of the aquifer near those wells, Moore said.
Moore said it is possible the chemical could be found at new locations the city might consider for a well field.
Columbus’ drinking water is from groundwater obtained using 22 gravel-packed wells and two filtration plans, according to Columbus City Utilities.
Since there is some interaction between the river and the aquifer, investigators must also determine how that groundwater is moving and where.

The clean-up of a dangerous chemical lab in Norris ended Friday, as the EPA and DEQ put the final touches on the Norris Labs site.
The Enivronmental Protection Agency and Department of Environmental Quality, along with several state and local agencies, started the clean-up on June 22, after two lab employees fell sick and tests revealed high-amounts of lead in their bloodstreams.
"The clean-up process has gone well.
"We took samples from the pond on site here and then we took samples from Hot Springs Creek above and below where that pond enters the creek and they were all non-detect for everything we looked for,” explains Craig Myers, EPA Federal On-Scene Coordinator.
People in the town of Norris also had their ground water and wells tested by the EPA.
"They did come over and test our water over at the office and sort of cleared it,” said Ann Hokanson, a Norris resident for 25 years.
A section of Highway 287 was also closed during the detonations.
"We weren’t all nervous or anything but it will be good to know it’s done,” Hokanson said.
Now that the clean-up is over and the water is deemed okay, Hokanson says any concern has been cleared up.
So yeah, no worries, we love Norris and we’re glad it’s clean now."

Here are some of the top stories we’re following for today.
7/20/18 Damian Giletto/The News Journal Public health officials are warning Sussex County residents served by Broadkiln Beach and PrimeHook water companies that their drinking water may be contaminated by unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria.
People who use those companies should either switch to bottled water or boil the water before using it, according to a press release issued late Friday afternoon.
The company shares a connection with PrimeHook Water Co., officials said.
Infants, young children and people with compromised immune systems are at the highest risk.
Anyone who experiences these symptoms should contact their doctor.
The exact communities were not immediately identified.
Public drinking water systems like Broadkiln and PrimeHook, although owned by a private company, are required to conduct regular tests for bacteria, nitrates and other contaminants through the state Office of Drinking Water.
Contamination can come from stormwater runoff after heavy rains, broken pipes or a failure in the water treatment process.
Contact reporter Maddy Lauria at (302) 345-0608, mlauria@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @MaddyinMilford.

Officials at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation say the changes are meant to improve the permitting process while protecting waterways.
But environmental groups are concerned that proposed changes will further erode Tennessee’s water pollution protections.
Environmentalists point to a recent shopping center project in Cookeville, where TDEC allowed a developer to fill in protected wetlands.
Easing water quality standards Tennessee — led by the Republican-dominated General Assembly — has been chipping away at water quality regulations in recent years.
In both cases, the Haslam administration opposed the changes, but the governor allowed them to become law without a veto.
Rule changes to allow for faster permitting One rule change would make it clear that developers could disturb some of the state’s most bio-diverse and pristine streams and wetlands — those considered “exceptional Tennessee waters” — as long as they mitigate the damage within a defined nearby area.
Two judges have sided with the state, and the Water Quality Control Board is set to hear the environmental group’s appeal in October.
Another set of rule changes that could impact water quality, advocates say, would clarify the level of acceptable pollution or damage in a stream.
The rule changes propose setting “baseline conditions” when a developer applies for a permit.
The EPA recommends that states set the allowable limits of nutrients to a certain level in the reference streams, but TDEC has been using a more lenient standard, potentially allowing more nutrients.

Many are heading to the beach to escape the hot temperatures this summer, only to find the water is closed.
Now, a group of researchers is trying out a new method that could deliver water testing results faster.
Camp counselor Matt Bartosz has been working with kids at Woodlawn Beach for most of the summer and, he says, the water is rarely open for swimming.
“We only went in the water once, because it’s always closed,” he said.
The water is sometimes closed for swimming, because of elevated bacteria levels.
At Woodlawn, a method is used where results are provided daily.
“Most beaches around the country don’t have such a model.” For many beaches around the Great Lakes region, there’s a 24-hour turnaround period for water testing.
Richardson’s group is working to improve that.
They were at Woodlawn taking water samples and trying out a new process for water testing.
They’ll be compiling their results and if everything looks promising, then they’ll start the process of getting approval to use this approach.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Understanding the extent of contamination at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility from dangerous industrial chemicals that also made their way into the drinking water for the nearby island town of Chincoteague will take years, officials said this week.
Meanwhile, the popular tourist town on Virginia’s Eastern Shore is moving ahead with plans to find a new supply for its drinking water, which has to be piped in from the mainland.
Although NASA has been providing supplemental drinking water since the chemicals were first detected over a year ago, town manager Jim West said he sees it as a risk for both NASA and Chincoteague not to make a change.
NASA used firefighting foam containing PFAS at Wallops.
Once PFAS was detected on Wallops property, where Chincoteague has seven wells, NASA began collaborating with the town on public outreach and further testing.
The town’s wells where PFAS was detected were taken offline, and Wallops began providing extra water.
The agency recently submitted a site investigation plan for review by federal and state officials, officials told The Associated Press this week.
The plan calls for sampling soil and groundwater and using monitoring wells to try to understand exactly where the PFAS is and how it’s moving in those areas, said TJ Meyer, associate chief of the medical and environmental management division at NASA Wallops.
NASA has already installed perimeter wells, and testing so far has shown the PFAS is not leaving Wallops’ property, Meyer said.
NASA is not charging the town for the extra water or the testing.

Carol Vaughn video Understanding the extent of contamination at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility from dangerous industrial chemicals that also made their way into the drinking water for the nearby island town of Chincoteague will take years, officials said this week.
Although NASA has been providing supplemental drinking water since the chemicals were first detected over a year ago, Town Manager Jim West said he sees it as a risk for both NASA and the town not to make a change.
We want to relocate somewhere we think we will be safe," said West.
The town’s wells where PFAS was detected were taken offline, and Wallops began providing extra water.
More: Pony Penning is ‘Christmas in July’ in Chincoteague, a homecoming for thousands The agency recently submitted a site investigation plan for review by federal and state officials, officials told The Associated Press this week.
The plan calls for sampling soil and groundwater and using monitoring wells to try to understand exactly where the PFAS is and how it’s moving in those areas, said TJ Meyer, associate chief of the medical and environmental management division at NASA Wallops.
NASA has already installed perimeter wells, and testing so far has shown the PFAS is not leaving Wallops’ property, Meyer said.
The summer is highlighted by the annual Pony Penning July 25-26 that attracts thousands of visitors to the town.
NASA is not charging the town for the extra water or the testing.
But Chincoteague did pay about $350,000 to buy the property for new wells and to drill two test wells — money West hopes NASA will eventually reimburse along with the millions more it’s expected to cost to develop the new wells.

A water situation in Middletown, Dauphin County, is affecting the entire borough.
The borough was alerted to possible contamination in the water supply Wednesday night.
A notice from Suez, the area’s water company, explains one of the system’s wells lost it’s ability to disinfect water entering the distribution system.
I was like, ‘Oooh something’s not right,” said Patty Chaya, a Middletown resident.
Chaya says her landlord texted her to tell her about the problem, but she says some neighbors knew nothing about it.
She was never notified by her landlord, and found out about the issue through facebook, and she says more should have been done to alert people.
“Email or something.
Or maybe even have someone come and put out flyers or something,” said said Sesilia Thomas, another Middletown resident.
Suez did put out a post on their Facebook page and website.
In the meantime, borough residents are encouraged to boil any water used for cooking or drinking, or use bottled water for the time being.