Shrewsbury still trying to find source of water contamination.
Telegram & Gazette Staff @EThompsonTG SHREWSBURY – Soliciting bids for the new $14 million water treatment plant remains on hold while the town continues to try to find the source of hexavalent chromium-6 in some town well water.
At its Jan. 10 meeting, the Board of Selectmen said that process would be delayed for at least a month while Water and Sewer Superintendent Robert Tozeski works to determine the source of chromium-6, a carcinogen, and how to get rid of it.
In subsequent tests of the wells, the levels at seven wells had dropped to close to zero.
It is 10 ppb, but the state’s goal is 0.02 ppb by 2020.
Mr. Tozeski has been communicating with experts in California, where chromium-6 was primarily introduced to the public in the 2000 film "Erin Brockovich."
The true story was about a woman’s quest to expose the presence of the carcinogen in some of California’s drinking water.
It can also be leaked into the environment from industrial processes.
It is considered a carcinogen when inhaled and can cause lung cancer, liver damage and kidney and small intestine problems.
Shrewsbury has installed several test wells to try to find the source.