Texas Ground Water Site Added to List of Superfund Sites
The Environmental Protection Agency has added the West County Road 112 Ground Water site near Midland, Texas, to the National Priorities List of Superfund sites.
The West County Road 112 Ground Water site is a ground water plume of chromium/hexavalent chromium located in a rural area of Midland County immediately southwest of the city limits of Midland. The center of the site is designated as 2601 West County Road 112. The site plume extends 1 ¼ miles from the center of the site and is situated under approximately 260 acres. The site was identified in April 2009 by a local resident who asked the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to test his private well due to yellow discoloration. Sampling of this well revealed the presence of hexavalent chromium. To date, approximately 234 water wells have been sampled by TCEQ and 46 water wells have concentrations of total chromium above safe levels. TCEQ has installed water filtration systems at those homes.
"Cleaning up sites that pose a threat to public health is one of the most vital aspects of our mission," said EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz. "We are committed to protecting communities from dangers posed by chemical contamination."
Until the source of the contamination has been identified and controlled, the ground water plume will continue to contaminate additional private and public water wells. The drinking water wells in the contaminated aquifer are the only source of water for these residents.
The West County Road 112 Ground Water site was proposed to the Superfund list in October 2010. Other sites added to the national cleanup list include the following: Dwyer Property Ground Water Plume, Elkton, Maryland; Washington County Lead District-Furnace Creek, Caledonia, Missouri; ACM Smelter and Refinery, Cascade County, Montana; Mansfield Trail Dump, Byram Township, New Jersey; Dewey Loefffel Landfill, Nassau, New York; Wright Chemical Corporation, Riegelwood, North Carolina; Milford Contaminated Aquifer, Milford, Ohio; Cabo Rojo Ground Water Contamination, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico; and Hormigas Ground Water Plume, Caguas, Puerto Rico.