Town Bank Residents Concerned with Well Contamination

VILLAS — Town Bank residents asked Lower Township Council Feb. 20 to be next in line to receive municipal water based on a number of toxic chemicals discovered in homeowners’ wells.
“For too many years the people of Town Bank have been pleading for good water,” said resident Bea Cassario.
She said Lower Township Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) has been aware of water quality problems for years but failed to address the issue.
The county Health Department’s well point testing program from Sept. 15, 2005 proved “We have the worst kind of contaminants known to man,” in the drinking water of many Town Bank residents.
Deputy Mayor Robert Nolan said for some time he wanted the MUA to extend a water main down Townbank Road turning north on Clubhouse Road. The main currently extends to the firehouse.
“Volatile organic compounds are found in wells from Englewood Road to Avalon Road, a distance of 12 blocks,” said Cassario. “Some homes in Town Bank had as many as seven different volatile organic compounds.”
She said not all wells were tested. Cassario called for council to take immediate positive action to get water to all of Town Bank within one year.
Mayor Walter Craig said MUA’s new engineering firm, Remington Vernick and Walberg, would address that issue. He said MUA should prioritize which parts of the township need water lines first. Craig said council was communicating with the MUA board.
“Somebody has to act,” replied Cassario.
Nolan said council understood the need for mandatory water connection for homeowners, when service becomes available in a neighborhood, to improve the MUA’s ability to get financing for expansion. He said Marc DeBlasio, engineer with Remington Vernick, was exploring grant funding through the United States Department of Agriculture.
Ed McGeehan, a Town Bank resident, presented well contamination figures prepared by former MUA board member Steve Sheftz. A home at 212 Glencreek Rd. had readings of 5.4 parts per billion (ppb) for tetrachloroethene in their well water when 1 ppb is the maximum allowable limit.
A home at 210 Glencreek had an identical reading. High readings were also found at 213 Clubhouse Rd.
Readings of 9.4 and 8.9 for tetrachloroethene were found at 209 Glencreek Rd.
High readings for M.T.B.E., a gasoline additive, were found in home wells at 24 Cedarbrook Rd., 15 Cedarbrook Rd., 16 Avalon Rd. 20 Avalon Rd. and 103 Folsom Ave.
McGeehan said no one knew what effect drinking contaminated well water would have on residents.
“It’s time you guys up there take the bull by the horns and get something done,” he said.
Resident Sal Riggi, a hydrologist with 30 years experience, said a contamination level of 1 ppb meant there was a one in one million chance of someone getting cancer. He said a level of 2 or 3 ppb, did not mean, “You were going to die.”
Aerators on faucets removed volatile organic compounds from well water, said Riggi. Until municipal water becomes available in Town Bank, he suggested filter systems for affected homes.
Riggi said he would not panic over the well water test statistics but Town Bank should be made a priority for water main installation. He suggested the county Health Department conduct studies in Town Bank for cancer rates or trends, which would aid in receiving grant money.