Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 26, 1992 TAG: 9202260310
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MARK LAYMAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
ITT COULD BE SOURCE OF CHEMICAL
Water Control Board investigators have one suspect so far in their search for the source of the chemical that has contaminated wells in Hollins: the ITT Gallium Arsenide Technology Center on Enon Drive, west of Plantation Road.Neil Obenshain, the Water Control Board's regional director, said Tuesday that a tank containing trichloroethylene (TCE), acetone and methanol was dug up at the plant in 1983.
Test wells dug in December showed TCE remained in the ground, he said.
However, he cautioned, "we're not sure that's the only" potential source of the chemical. "We're early in the investigation. We want to search and see if there are other sources."
Last week, tests confirmed that water in a well supplying the Tinkerview Trailer Court, which is on the other side of Plantation Road, contained 400 times the acceptable level of TCE.
Sixteen nearby wells were sampled Friday, and half were found to be contaminated with the chemical - though not at levels as high as those found in the trailer court's well, Obenshain said.
Residents of those households will be notified by hand-delivered letter today.
Dr. Molly Hagan, director of the Alleghany Health District, said those residents should drink bottled water and install carbon filters until they are hooked up to a safe water supply.
TCE has a sweet odor, but it is colorless and tasteless. It is a common solvent and degreaser, and also is used medically as an anesthetic.
Humans can be exposed to TCE by drinking or by inhalation, Hagan said. There are no immediate health effects from exposure at the levels found in the wells. But tests have found TCE causes cancer in mice and rats, and long-term exposure might cause cancer in humans, she said.
Residents of that part of the county who have wells always have been plagued by mineral-rich "hard" water. But Hagan said none has reported health problems that might be linked to exposure to TCE.
Investigators will sample another 15 or so wells today to try to determine the extent of the contamination. The results should be available in two or three days - much quicker than usual. "We've got [the laboratory] on an emergency basis," Obenshain said.
Roanoke County Administrator Elmer Hodge got permission from the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to extend county water lines to serve residents whose wells are contaminated by TCE. That should cost no more than $50,000, he said.
The trailer court already has been hooked up to county water.
The supervisors agreed to give residents until July 1 to pay water-connection fees. Ideally, the party responsible for the contamination will be identified by then and will pay the fees, Hodge said.
Residents with questions or concerns about TCE contamination should contact the Health Department or the Water Control Board.