By Rachel Kalina
Appearing before about 30 residents at a public meeting at West Hempstead High School on Dec. 4, officials from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the West Hempstead Water District explained that an investigation into the high levels of the gasoline additive methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) found at the Birch Street Plant water supply wells in June is still in progress, and the "remedial measures" being taken to control the contamination were not necessarily a solution, but merely steps in the right direction.
In large doses, MTBE is a suspected carcinogen, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and it was banned in New York in 2004.
In an effort to restore four of the 10 West Hempstead wells that have been offline since June, the DEC plans to set up a water pump in the Bedell Terrace area in January. Representatives said this would hopefully have the 180-foot wells ‹ numbers 1, 3, 4 and 5 ‹ ready to return to work within 18 months to two years.
"We're still collecting data potential to sources," said Joseph Haas, an engineering geologist for the DEC who specializes in environmental remediation. "In terms of the contamination, we've defined the full extent."
The investigation revealed what the DEC calls a "dissolved ground water contaminant plume" several hundred feet wide, extending north from the Birch Street plant about 1,800 feet to Bedell Terrace. This is basically the underground length and width of MTBE.
The water district instituted what it called an Interim Remedial Measure at well No. 3 in August to prevent spreading of contaminants, and it also plans an IRM at well No. 1, as both of these shallow wells continue to be contaminated. Well No. 3 had been a heavily used well, whereas well No. 1 hadn¹t been used in several decades, Haas explained.
Officials said the system at well No. 3 treats water pumped through it with a method known as air stripping, which diverts polluted water from the distribution system and treats it by forcing air through an air-stripping tower to change contaminants from liquid to gas. The gas can then be collected and cleaned, and according to the EPA, 99 percent of the chemicals in water can be removed this way. So far, nearly 54 million gallons have been treated at well No. 3.
Haas said that air stripping would control the contaminant plume and prevent any impact on four deeper wells, which were initially idle for a few weeks of the investigation but are now again being used in West Hempstead. Haas said these deeper wells, which get their water from the Magothy aquifer, as opposed to the Upper Glacial aquifer that shallow wells draw from, had not been used for the past 10 years.
The next step in the DEC¹s plans will be to treat the remainder of the contaminant plume that extends from the Birch Street Plant to the Bedell Terrace area. This will entail the installation of two wells near well No. 1 on the plant's property that will pump groundwater to another air-stripping tower. Robert York of the West Hempstead Water District said these wells and air-stripper are being constructed and will start operating in January.
Narrowing down the source
DEC representatives said the MTBE was probably from a gasoline leak at a still-unknown source, and that it had entered the distribution system through well No. 3. For three days in June, residents in West Hempstead, Cathedral Gardens, and areas in Franklin Square and Garden City were advised not to drink their tap water or use it for cooking or other purposes, as the plant was temporarily closed down. West Hempstead residents were given Garden City water.
The DEC then began an inspection of petroleum storage facilities like gas stations, and conducted environmental sampling near the Birch Street plant to determine the extent of the problem, its source, and what steps to take to control it. Technicians installed multi-level wells and temporary borings on the well field property, along roads, and on some private property to collect groundwater for testing. The investigation was funded by the New York State Environmental Protection and Spill Compensation Fund.
One gas station, which Haas said at the meeting he could not name because of an ongoing investigation, has since shut down. He said that although the DEC made suggestions for it to correct some of its equipment, it closed of its own accord.
"An impact of this magnitude is only the second one we have had on Long Island," Haas said, explaining that the last one occurred in Riverhead in 1995. He said that nationally, there are about five major cases.
The project's time frame
Between the systems installed at wells No. 1 and 3, the system should be cleared of any MTBE in about two years, Haas said. But other measures will be involved. "It's not the end-all, be-all of what's going to be done," he said, adding that there would be modifications to the DEC's game plan if the systems installed at both wells are not sufficient.
The DEC assured residents that all water distributed to West Hempstead is routinely tested, and that sampling frequency would be increased for all wells from once a month to twice a week. "This is unheard of," York said, "to use so many samples."
The DEC has said that the water distributed through the system to West Hempstead now meets federal and state drinking water standards because it comes from deeper wells. Even so, York said. the district has lost 40 percent of its pumping capacity because four wells are still off line.
Scott Jablow, president of the Cathedral Gardens Civic Association in West Hempstead, said he was disappointed that some wells are not being used and that many in the community did not attend the recent public meeting ‹ the first one held to update members about the issue. "Because of the poor notification of the community, we couldn't have had a bigger turnout," Jablow said. "I'm very disappointed."
Haas, York and other members of the DEC spoke about the problem and its current solutions for about two hours. York said he felt it was a waste of time, because although important and helpful information was provided, no one was there to hear it ‹ including, he said, many community leaders.
Bill Fonda, who works for the DEC, agreed with York's sentiments but said the event was widely advertised in newspapers and on TV. "Truthfully, I would have expected more people," Fonda said.
Jablow said that despite how helpful the West Hempstead Water District has been, he is still concerned about how the matter will impact West Hempstead residents ‹ specifically those who will live in apartments are being built near the wells.
"There's more to this then they're telling us," he said.
Comments about this story? RKalina@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 205.
