Denmark shuts down tainted wells
By VIC WHETSTONE, T&D CorrespondentTuesday, September 26, 2006DENMARK – The city of Denmark has taken two of its three wells out of service as a precautionary measure after recent samples contained elevated levels of solvents.
Tetrachloroethylene, also known as PCE, was found in one well. It was commonly used as a dry cleaning solvent before it was banned by the Environmental Protection Agency. Trichloroethylene, another solvent, was found in another well.
The Bamberg Board of Public Works has been furnishing water to Denmark since about 6:55 p.m. Thursday at the request of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, BPW Manager Bruce Ellis said.
Clair Boatwright, spokesperson for DHEC in Columbia, said while DHEC would have monitored the wells over a period of time before deciding whether to take them off-line, the city was proactive.
“It was taken off-line long before the requirement would have been put on the city. ... This is not an acute exposure situation,” she said.
“It was caught early, the levels are really low,” and the city is going above and beyond requirements to protect its citizens, she said.
Boatwright said tests showed that some chemical levels are slightly above the acceptable level in one well and nine times above the level in another city well. One city well, referred to as the Voorhees Well, has not shown any sign of the chemicals.
Denmark’s Brooker Center Well, according to Boatwright, has shown elevated levels of PCE. This well is within 1,200 feet of a potential contamination source. The cleanup process has begun.
“Some of the chemicals could be coming from a dry cleaning solvent, and once the responsible party is identified, DHEC has the responsibility of selecting the company to correct the problem and DHEC also oversees the process,” Boatwright said.
DHEC will continue to monitor the Denmark wells, she said, adding that the agency plans to test some privately-owned wells in the city for similar chemical contamination.
In a letter attached to a preliminary fact sheet sent to residents, Denmark Mayor Carrie Simmons told residents, “We have been working closely with the Department of Health and Environmental Control to ensure that you receive safe drinking water. The drinking water being supplied to you is safe and free of contaminants.”
