East Norriton PCE Site Montgomery County, Pennsylvania - Public Water Supply Hookups Completed - £ < 33 V ^tDsrx PRO^ z LU a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Region 3 May 23, 2006 Public Water Supply Lines Completed... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with East Norriton Township, Montgomery County Health Department (MCHD), and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), finished residential hookups to public water and yard restorations in the Rahway Avenue area of East Norriton. Approximately 55 homes have been hooked up to a public water supply due to nearby groundwater contamination. Next Steps: Groundwater Study... After helping to protect human health and the environment by hooking up a public water supply, EPA's next step is groundwater sampling in an attempt to find a source and potentially responsible party (PRP) for the contamination. Working with PADEP, EPA is using seven monitoring wells in the Rahway Avenue area. Over the next two years, workers will be taking quarterly groundwater samples. The study will help determine: direction of groundwater flow, / speed of flow, and water quality. This information will be an important part of EPA's investigation into the cause of the contamination, however it does not guarantee that the point of origin will be discovered. Because groundwater can often travel in different directions (it could follow gravity and bedrock fractures in different directions at the same time) it may be difficult to prove where the contamination began. EPA is aware of this potential outcome but will go forward with the groundwater study and investigation efforts. A Background... In the fall of 2004, perchloroethylene (PCE) was detected in residential wells at elevated levels. To help ensure a safe drinking water supply, EPA provide bottled water to potentially affected residences until the connection to public water was completed. The contaminant of concern is perchloroethylene (PCE); also called tetrachloroethylene, and sometimes nicknamed "perc." PCE is commonly used in dry cleaning and metal de-greasing. For More Information... If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact one of the representatives listed below. Trish Taylor, US EPA Community Involvement Coordinator (215) 814 -5539 • Lynda Rebarchak, PADEP Community Relations Coordinator (484) 250-5820 • Rachel DeMarzio, MCHD Water Quality Supervisor (610)278-5117, ext 6727 • Helmuth Baerwald East Norriton Township Township Manager (610) 275 -2800, ext 114 Thomas O'Donnell Norristown Fire Chief Emergency Management Coordinator (610) 270 -0420 ------- |