How Chincoteague avoided disaster on water contamination

See Also: Chemical found in wells that supply Chincoteague drinking water Chincoteague and NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, which lies across the bay from the island community, had partnered on a unique project, West said.
So, they worked out an arrangement to allow Chincoteague to connect a pipe to Wallops’ water system.
Supplementing the town’s water supply was simply a matter of turning a valve, West said.
Once the shallow well was turned off and the pipe was flushed, the chemical could no longer be detected in the deeper pipe’s water.
The potential health effects of human exposure to the compounds are not fully understood, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued health advisory limits for them last year.
Tests of individual wells detected PFAS in one of four deep wells and three shallow ones.
In two of the shallow wells and the deep well, it was detected at a level above the health advisory, according to a NASA statement.
The town then began using only the three deep wells where no PFAS chemicals were found to produce drinking water.
Recent samples taken from shallow wells on the south side of the base, however, showed "very low" levels of PFAS-related compounds.
But until now, everything has been done in a step-wise, careful fashion.” Despite the scrutiny of PFAS at Wallops, it’s unlikely that officials will ever find out how long Chincoteague’s drinking water had contained trace amounts of the chemical, Matson added.

FDA to Drug Manufacturers: Beware Water-Borne Contaminants

FDA to Drug Manufacturers: Beware Water-Borne Contaminants.
“BCC can survive or multiply in a variety of non-sterile and water-based products because it is resistant to certain preservatives and antimicrobial agents,” FDA said in a statement.
“Detecting BCC bacteria is also a challenge and requires validated testing methods that take into consideration the unique characteristics of different BCC strains.” According to FDA, people exposed to BCC are at an increased risk for illness or infection, especially patients with compromised immune systems.
Recent Recalls In October 2016, an FDA investigation identified BCC in more than 10 lots of oral liquid docusate sodium produced by Florida-based contract manufacturer PharmaTech, which found the contaminant in its water system.
PharmaTech voluntarily recalled all its liquid products from 20 October 2015 through 15 July 2016 as a precautionary measure.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed 60 cases of BCC infection in eight states.
What to Do FDA is specifically reminding drug manufacturers to: “Establish procedures designed to prevent objectionable microorganism contamination of non-sterile drug products, such as procedures to assure adequate quality of incoming materials, sanitary design, maintenance and cleaning of equipment, production and storage time limitations, and monitoring of environmental conditions (21 CFR 211.113(a)).
Use scientifically sound and appropriate acceptance criteria (e.g., USP Chapter <1111> Microbiological Examination of Non-sterile Products: Acceptance Criteria for Pharmaceutical Preparations and Substances for Pharmaceutical Use)8 and test procedures (e.g., USP <61>/<62> Microbiological Examination of Non-sterile Products: Microbial Enumeration Tests and Tests for Specified Microorganisms, respectively) to assure that drug product components (including pharmaceutical water) and finished drug products conform to appropriate quality standards (21 CFR 211.160(b)).
Ensure that the methods used to test finished drug products prior to release for distribution are appropriately validated, accurate, sensitive, specific and reproducible (21 CFR 211.165).
Test in-process materials during the production process (e.g., at commencement or completion of significant phases, or after storage for long periods), using valid in-process specifications to assure, among other things, that the drug product will meet its final specification, including criteria for absence of microbial contamination, where appropriate (21 CFR 211.110).

Essay on pollution and its effects on environment

Essay on pollution and its effects on environment Types Of Pollution And Their Effects Environmental Sciences Essay. pollution into the environment that the Pollution And Their Effects Environmental Short Essay on Environmental Pollution Then comes sound pollution. The harsh sounds of buses, its, Environment pollution is a serious menace to our existence.Video embedded · Causes and Effects: Pollution occurs when pollutants contaminate the natural surroundings; their causes and effects on mankind and the environment …Pollution Essay POLLUTION! Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse Pollution Essay for Class 1 the government to check its harmful effects. Pollution Essay 4 can get a healthy and unpolluted environment. Pollution Essay Pollution and its effects Pollution Essays: Home » Essay » Pollution…

Airway Heights pumping out contaminated water that some say could be replaced by Fairchild supplies

Water tested at a pair of contaminated Airway Heights wells contains chemical concentrations more than 15 times greater than thresholds established by federal regulators, according to city officials. The Environmental Protection Agency has established a limit of 70 parts per trillion for chemicals, known by the acronyms PFOA and PFOS, that were used for decades in fire-retardant foam at a fire training site on Fairchild Air Force Base. Two wells tested in Airway Heights showed levels above 1,100 parts per trillion, City Manager Albert Tripp said. The wells have been shut off from the system as part of a flushing process that is expected to last until at least Monday, when the city will again test its supplies for traces of the chemicals. The levels established by the EPA are not enforceable under any federal law, and the Spokane Regional Health District stresses that the link between exposure and potential health problems is not yet completely understood. Airway Heights is pumping water into its system from Spokane to meet demand during the flushing period. The city has been releasing potentially contaminated water from hydrants in locations that would minimize any new contamination, including spraying it in areas where city irrigation has been occurring for years, Anderson said. “We’re trying to discharge it onto city properties as much as possible,” Anderson said. Fairchild has lent its assistance in handing out bottled water to affected citizens, but several former and current city officials say the base could be providing additional water…

Protect the Mid-South’s Water!

When I was enrolled in university, my political science courses discussed future conflict and migrations resulting from water scarcity. I did not think that I would see evidence of this so soon after graduation. A government geological study notes that there is a major cone of depression in the Memphis area as a result of long-term pumping of water at municipal and industrial well fields. This problem is in addition to the $615,000,000 lawsuit from Mississippi against Tennessee challenging the intense pumping of aquifer water in Memphis. This pumping has allegedly caused a depression in the Mississippi water table and altered the direction that water moves underground. This issue of our water aquifer is not a fad of environmentalism, nor is it a fund-raising platform for the Sierra Club. This is the kind of issue that will come to define our era, and Memphians are at the forefront of it in a very real way. With climate change altering rain patterns and, ultimately, aquifer recharge rates, it seems foolish to blindly obligate millions of gallons of this precious resource to the Tennessee Valley Authority for its proposed use in the cooling of their new natural gas plant here. A 2015 study cited that just 6 percent of groundwater is replenished within a “human lifetime” of 50 years. The water we drink from the Memphis Sand Aquifer is 2,000 years old. Let that sink in. While water may be a renewable resource, it is finite in quantity and vulnerable to contamination. Brian Waldron, a researcher at the Ground Water Institute, has warned, “We don’t really know the…

Residents in Airway Heights feeling water constraints amid possible chemical contamination from Fairchild Air Force Base

The thought on everyone’s mind behind the Yoke’s grocery store in Airway Heights Wednesday morning was, “Where’s the water?” “Everybody’s out,” said Martha Grall, as she smoked a cigarette outside of her car. Behind her’s was a line of eight others waiting patiently for a water shipment that was supposed to arrive at 7 a.m., but was more than two hours late. When news broke late last night that water from city pipes likely is contaminated with chemical runoff from Fairchild Air Force Base, word quickly spread that city officials were handing out bottled water. Crowds of more than 100 began arriving to the area behind the grocery store Tuesday night. Firefighters and volunteers handed out more than 300 packs of water by 9:15 p.m. But by 7 a.m. the next morning, all of the water was gone – about 700 gallons total, said Mitch Metzger, fire chief for Airway Heights. Another shipment of about several thousand gallons was due this morning, according to deputy fire chief Nate Whannell, but volunteers and water-less residents were left scratching their head. Metzger said the city ordered the water from Food Services of America. He said a…

Airway Heights residents warned not to drink tap water amid chemical contamination findings from Fairchild AFB

Airway Heights residents warned not to drink tap water amid chemical contamination findings from Fairchild AFB.
Airway Heights residents lined up by the hundreds Tuesday night to receive bottled water after city officials advised residents not to drink or cook with water from city pipes, as it is likely contaminated with chemical runoff from Fairchild Air Force Base.
But the tap water “is safe for activities where water will not be ingested, such as bathing, doing laundry and washing dishes,” the city and the Air Force said in a joint statement Tuesday evening.
They said the warning was issued “out of an abundance of caution” and does not apply to residents east of Hayford Road, who get water from the city of Spokane’s system.
The chemicals are believed to have come from a fire-extinguishing foam the Air Force used from 1970 until last year on a fire-training site as well as two locations where aircraft have crashed.
Fairchild officials said last week they had expanded their search farther east and south of the base; the chemicals had been detected at concerning levels in at least 17 wells.
In the statement, Air Force Col. Ryan Samuelson said that “we cannot know the extent to which any past base activities contributed to the PFOS/PFOA concentrations in this area.” In a phone call, Airway Heights Mayor Kevin Ritchey said base officials tested four city wells and found contamination in three of them, all in the area of West 21st Avenue and South Lawson Street.
“The problem is the test results take about a week, so we’re talking seven to 10 days to be completely sure” the contamination is reduced, Ritchey said.
The EPA says most people have low levels of the chemicals in their bloodstreams because of exposure from consumer products.
The Air Force said the EPA’s recommendations are based on “cumulative lifetime exposure from water ingestion, not from skin contact or breathing water vapor.” Officials are looking for alternative water sources and may install filtration systems on the affected wells.

Centre Water Works calls alleged polluters on the carpet

Centre Water Works calls alleged polluters on the carpet.
The lawsuit is against carpet and textile companies, manufacturers and chemical suppliers of PFCs that attorneys contend are responsible for polluting the city’s water supply.
Representing Centre are Beasley Allen lawyers Jere Beasley, Rhon Jones, Rick Stratton, Grant Cofer and Ryan Kral, together with Roger Bedford of Roger Bedford & Associates in Russellville.
Jones said the lawsuit is basically the same kind of case with the same allegations made against the same defendants as in the lawsuit brought last year by the Gadsden Water Works and Sewer Board.
However, Jones said the plaintiffs filed a motion to have it moved back to state court “where it belongs,” and are waiting for a federal judge’s ruling.
When Gadsden’s suit was filed, Jones said the Gadsden Water Works and its customers did not put the chemicals in the water and should not be held responsible for removing them either.
The polluters must bear the expected multi-million dollar cost cleaning up and removing the PFCs from the water system.
Some of the highest PFC test results in North America, if not the world, have been recorded near the discharge sites for these carpet manufacturers.” In May 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued new lifetime health exposure guidelines for PFOS and PFOA.
After the EPA issued the new exposure limits, an advisory warning was provided to eight systems in Alabama.
The EPA advisory focused on PFOA and PFOS, man-made chemical compounds that are used in the manufacture of non-stick, stain-resistant and water-proofing coatings on fabric, cookware, firefighting foam and a variety of other consumer products.

Groundwater contamination spurs $139,000 increase to east side water main project

Groundwater contamination spurs $139,000 increase to east side water main project.
GOSHEN — Goshen Board of Public Works and Safety members Monday approved a $139,000 contract increase with HRP Construction needed to remedy groundwater contamination concerns related to a water main replacement project along Monroe Street on the city’s east side.
According to Sailor, the Monroe Street portion of the project, which got started in early March, needed some significant modification due to recent word from Goshen Brownfield Coordinator Becky Hershberger that groundwater contamination from the former Johnson Controls industrial site, 1302 E. Monroe St., had been found in the path of the Monroe Street portion of the project.
Sailor said the contamination was in the form of trichloroethylene (TCE), which can migrate through the traditional gaskets and plastic piping the city normally uses for such water main projects.
During Monday’s meeting, Sailor informed the board that HRP Construction has completed installation of the upgraded Viton gaskets and copper piping, with the total cost of the upgrade coming to $139,281.
However, Sailor noted that his office has been in contact with Johnson Controls about the contamination issue, and the company has agreed to reimburse the city for the increased project cost.
So we’re just asking for this to be approved by the board so that we can pay the contractor.” The request was approved unanimously.
Johnson Controls operated the plant at 1302 E. Monroe St. from 1937 to 2007.
The suit alleges Tocon has not remediated the pollution.
• Approved temporary closure of the Cottage Avenue railroad crossing from May 22 through May 25 to allow for continued work on the city’s Logan Street, Monroe Street and Cottage Avenue water main replacement project.

Suit blames well contamination on Dominion’s Possum Point ash ponds

A pair of Dumfries homeowners have filed suits seeking millions in damages from Dominion Energy, claiming heavy metals seeping from coal ash ponds at the Possum Point Power Station contaminated their drinking water wells. The power station’s coal ash ponds, where the remnants of burnt coal were kept, are the scene of a clash among the utility, residents, and state and local officials over the company’s closure plans. The lawsuits — filed on behalf of Daniel Marrow and his family and Brian West, both of whom own homes on Possum Point Road near the power station — allege that concentrations of hexavalent chromium, lead, boron, cobalt and other metals found in their wells came from the nearby power plant, which burned coal until 2003. “The defendant knew or should have known that placing multiple unlined coal ash ponds near a residential community that relied on well water would cause groundwater contamination that would then contaminate the nearby properties and potable wells,” the suits say. Marrow’s suit claims damages of $6 million while West’s claims $3 million. The Virginia Beach lawyer who filed both suits, Mark J. Favaloro, referred a reporter to Annapolis, Md., attorney Roy Mason, who could not be reached Friday. “Dominion is aware that the lawsuit has been filed in Prince William County,” company spokesman Robert Richardson said. “However, the company has not…