COLUMBUS - Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will begin testing homes near the 10th Street Superfund site next week in light of new concerns about air quality stemming from contaminated groundwater.
Glen Curtis of the EPA spoke with the Columbus City Council during its meeting Monday about the agency's plan to test 10-12 homes in the area.
"EPA representatives will be talking to people in the area in the next few days, and we plan to be back next week to do the test," he said.
The visits this week will give EPA representatives a chance to discuss the project and survey homeowners to see if they might have household chemicals or have done recent projects, such as painting, that could affect the testing.
The most recent issues stem from work being done at the site, which is in the central part of the city in the area between Seventh and 23rd streets and 16th and 29th avenues.
For several years, the city has been working with the EPA on a Superfund cleanup of groundwater in the 10th Street area, which is contaminated with PCE and trichloroethylene (TCE) at concentrations that exceed the safe drinking water act level of five parts per billion.
Curtis said the areas to be targeted for testing are crawl spaces, but he said the EPA may have to test the air quality in homes with basements. Participation in the testing is voluntary and will be done at no cost to the homeowner.
If a test is done, a canister the size of a bowling ball will be placed in the crawl space or basement for 24 hours. Similar tests have been done to detect levels of radon in homes, Curtis said.
"After 24 hours, we will collect the canister and take it back to our lab for analysis," he said. "In 60 to 90 days, we will receive data and see what the results mean."
The results will be discussed with the homeowner.
According to a fact sheet prepared for Council members by Columbus' Public Works and Environmental Services Director Chuck Thomerson, the EPA's concerns regarding air quality come from a chemical known as tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, which can move upward through soil into homes and buildings.
Curtis said the EPA has dealt with the issue of PCE in other cases. While the EPA didn't anticipate PCE being an issue when the local investigation into contaminated groundwater began, Curtis said a number of things have changed.
"The high level of contaminents are moving south and are covering several blocks," Curtis said.
If a high level of the chemical is found in the air of a home, Curtis said the EPA will install a ventilation system at no cost to the homeowner.
Curtis said there is no immediate, short-term health concerns regarding the chemical. When asked by City Councilman Jim Bulkley if he would be worried if he lived in one of the homes targeted for testing, Curtis said no.
"So you wouldn't pack up and move," Bulkley asked.
"No, I wouldn't," Curtis said.
Included in the investigation is the former Manufactured Gas Plant, which was located at 1169 22nd Ave. The plant - which has been closed since 1932 - is located within the boundaries of the EPA's investigation.
Preliminary investigations of the plant last May found a number of underground structures and potential source areas - including an FMGP operations building, gas storage tanks and a gas holder and tar and gas tanks - that had not been identified before.
Contamination from chemicals used over the years by One Hour Martinizing, Liberty Services Inc. and Jackson Cleaners has also been investigated by the EPA.
As part of the investigation, the EPA has taken soil samples, installed 12 monitoring wells in the area, extracted and treated contaminated groundwater and discharged the treated water to the river.
Earlier this year, the EPA completed construction and began full operation of groundwater extraction wells at 23rd Street and 25th Avenue. Treated groundwater is currently being discharged to the river, but Curtis said the EPA and state are working with city officials on ways to send the water to the city's treatment plant.
When all is said and done, Curtis said the EPA will spend about $8 million to $9 million on the cleanup. Mayor Gary Giebelhaus asked if the EPA planned to go after the property owners to help pay for the cleanup. The former Manufactured Gas Plant is owned by Centel Corporation and Aquila Inc., which has been involved with the investigation.
Curtis said the EPA has been trying to identify those individuals and is working to settle issues regarding the cleanup with them.
"I want you to keep us apprised of the situation," Giebelhaus said. "As a taxpayer, I think it would be criminal for those individuals who caused this to walk away with large assets while I foot the bill. I have a real problem with that."
Bulkley and other council members said it is important for the EPA to keep them updated on the situation so they can assure voters there is no immediate danger.
"We want people to know the sky is not falling," he said.
Curtis said EPA representatives plan to come back before the council when new information is gathered.
"We will continue to work with Chuck (Thomerson) and anybody else you want us to," Curtis said.
Curtis said he thinks the contamination could be cleaned up in the next five years.
In other council business, Giebelhaus was forced to cast the deciding vote as the council approved a 3 percent salary increase for City Administrator Joe Frei.
The mayor's vote was needed because issues regarding salary increases need five votes in favor. The vote before Giebelhaus' was 4-3. Councilman Dennis Duffy was absent from the meeting. Giebelhaus said he voted in favor of the increase because he feels Frei is doing a good job.
His job performance wasn't an area of contention for those voting against the raise. Voting no were Councilmen Chuck Whitney, Joe Held and Bob Hiner.
"I'm voting no because I think the job pays enough at $90,000," Held said. "I do think he does a great job and think we've got the best city administrator in the state."
Whitney said he voted no because he wanted all city employees to have raises in the same dollar amount, not the same percentage.
Council President Mike Fleming was among the people who voted in favor of the raise.
"He does a very good job and deserves this increase," he said.
The salary increase is effective on Frei's reappointment later this year. With the raise, his salary will be about $92,700. The raise comes after an annual review by the council, which was discussed in executive session during a meeting of the Committee of the Whole.
The council also approved the spending of $2.8 million to upgrade/replacement residential water meters. Voting no on the project was Whitney.
Thomerson said the city needs to replace 172 meters because they aren't working properly.
"Of the 172 meters we tested, 67 percent failed low flow access tests," he said. "Forty percent over-registered on those tests."
The work will be done by a contractor hired by the city, Thomerson said.
Whitney said he was voting no because he doesn't think $2.8 million should be on something that he said is a fairness issue.
In other action, the council:
n Reappointed Joe Bordy, Carolyn Legenza and Dick Tooley to the Business Improvement Board; Richard Snyder to the Columbus Housing Authority; and Keith Brown, Denise Langan and Paul Rowoldt to the Senior Center Advisory Board.
n Set Nov. 1 as the date for a public hearing on a four-year extension of existing cable television franchise held by Time Warner Cable.
n Gave the public a chance to speak during a town hall meeting on the issue of the Northeast Nebraska Solid Waste Coalition. No one spoke during the meeting.
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