East Norriton PCE Site Montgomery County, Pennsylvania - Public Water Supply to be Extended - £ < 33 \ PRO"^ O z LU o U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Region 3 April 14, 2005 Public Water Supply Lines... On March 31, 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved additional funding for connecting residents to a public water line extension in the Rahway Avenue area of East Norriton Township. In the fall of 2004, perchloroethylene (PCE) was detected in drinking water wells at elevated levels. To ensure people have a safe drinking water supply, EPA is continuing to provide bottled water to potentially affected residences until the connection to public water is completed. EPA, East Norriton Township and Norristown will work with the Pennsylvania American Water Company to extend the public water supply line for residential properties with contaminated wells. During this project, EPA is also working closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), the Montgomery County Health Department (MCHD) and the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Next Steps... To fix the problem: East Norriton Township and Norristown plan on adopting ordinances requiring residences with private wells in the Rahway Avenue area, to hook up to public water. (About 60 homes will need to be hooked up.) East Norriton Township and Norristown are working with Pennsylvania American Water Company to provide main water line extensions, at no cost to the residents. EPA will not conduct residential work without first getting permission from the property owner. We will be contacting individual property owners to discuss access agreements and work schedules. EPA will provide curbside-to-home hook- ups, at no cost to the residents, within the time-frame of the ordinances. Areas with the highest levels of contamination will be scheduled for work first, followed by the next highest, and so on, until all Rahway Avenue area properties with private wells are addressed. EPA will also be closing up the private wells, so future residents do not unknowingly use the contaminated water. Another important reason the wells must be closed is because continued pumping could cause the contaminated groundwater to spread. EPA is continuing to provide bottled water to affected residences until the connection to public water is completed. Our first priority is to protect public health and the environment, however while steps are being taken to fix the problem, we are also conducting an investigation into the possible source(s) of the contamination. ------- Schedule.. Work to Date.., EPA plans to begin work on the hookups in early summer. Before work can begin on private property, EPA will be contacting individual property owners to discuss access agreements and work schedules. Work activities may include: yard excavation road drilling / road construction mid- to heavy-sized equipment operations Work is estimated to take about six months to complete. All hookups are expected to be completed by the end of the year, however weather could be a key factor in the final schedule. What you may notice... Workers may be wearing protective clothing, such as coveralls, reflective vests, hardhats, and gloves. Government vehicles, trucks and equipment will be coming in and out of the vicinity. We anticipate that the work will temporarily impact the flow of traffic. Some sections of Rahway Avenue and corresponding side street(s) will be partially blocked off during work in that section. The avenue will be limited to only one lane at those work sections. Please keep this in mind while driving and proceed at a slow, safe speed. Background... Since December 2004, as part of an immediate response to address PCE-related contamination found in residential wells, EPA has been distributing bottled water, free of charge, to residents with potentially affected wells in the Rahway Avenue area of East Norriton Township. 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. EPA is working on this project as a team with with East Norriton Township, Norristown, MCHD, PADEP, and ATSDR. Work so far includes: Sampling residential wells for contamination Providing over 45,000 gallons of bottled water to potentially affected residents in the Rahway Avenue area Holding a public meeting with the community to discuss the project, provide information, and answer questions Continuing to keep the community updated by distributing fact sheets (like this one) to residents and to other interested parties If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact one of the representatives listed below. For More Information. Contact... 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 ------- |