Five more water wells test positive for pollution from Litton site; other results coming

When Fantastic Caverns went public with concerns about chemical pollution from a Springfield industrial site, property owners with wells nearby flooded state regulators with requests for free water well testing.

According to the Department of Natural Resources, 280 people asked for their wells to be tested for trichloroethylene, a carcinogenic degreasing agent that escaped from the Litton Industries site near the airport in northwest Springfield.

The first 35 free water well samples have been tested, and DNR reports that five of those had the chemical, though at levels below the EPA's maximum allowable limit for human exposure in drinking water.

"The department is mailing sampling results letters for the first 35 wells sampled to property owners this week," said Valerie Wilder, DNR Superfund section chief. "Results for samples collected in December are expected by December 21 and will be promptly communicated to the remaining property owners."

Wilder said it takes two to three weeks for a water well sample to go through the testing and reporting process.

DNR so far has collected samples from 145 private drinking water wells; seven wells were sampled on Nov. 15; 28 wells on Nov. 19; and 110 wells Dec. 3-4.

It's likely that more property owners with private wells will seek free water tests from DNR as the scope of the groundwater contamination becomes better understood. 

DNR spokesman Brian Quinn said homeowners whose wells tested positive were called by a DNR project manager and a Department of Health and Senior Services staffer on the phone to explain results and answer any health-related questions.

"The Department will be resampling any well with a detection of TCE in January to verify the results," Quinn added. "If the TCE presence is verified in January, we will sample that well quarterly for the first year and then annually after that to monitor TCE concentrations."

More:Fantastic Caverns hopes vent holes will keep toxic chemical out of cave

Before these latest water well tests, DNR previously tested more than 70 private drinking water wells in the area and found 13 with detectable levels of TCE, including one well that showed TCE slightly above the EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Level of five parts per billion.

That private well now has a water treatment system to remove TCE that was provided by Northrup Grumman, the company that bought the former Litton Industries site after the company closed in 2007.

According to DNR, a public well system known as the County Squire Village well (a public well serving 189 people located 1.5 miles east of the Litton site) had a detection of TCE in 2010 of 0.5 parts per billion TCE, and then again in 2016 of 0.71 parts per billion.

Both levels are below EPA’s limit for drinking water and there has been no treatment system added to remove the contaminant.

Also looking for TCE in soil

Because TCE can move easily through soil as well as through groundwater, Northrup Grumman has hired a contractor to conduct shallow soil sampling throughout northern portions of Greene County to determine if TCE vapors are migrating to the surface and posing a public health threat.

According to DNR, minimal detections of TCE were found at two locations. The sampling is being conducted by Sunbelt Environmental Services, a contractor for Northrop Grumman.

More:DNR offers free well testing for TCE contamination in northwest Springfield area

DNR hopes to have results for soil samples that were taken in November completed by the end of December.

TCE contamination has reached lower levels of Fantastic Caverns, but both DNR and Fantastic Caverns officials say levels are well below EPA's exposure limits and pose no threat to employees or visitors.

However, Fantastic Caverns has begun drilling a series of vent holes near the show cave in hopes of catching TCE vapors before they reach the public areas. The vent holes will both push fresh air into subterranean caverns where TCE vapors might exist and also exhaust those vapors into the air above ground.

Russ Campbell, owner of Fantastic Caverns, said he has spent more than $400,000 so far on the venting project and believes the total cost to keep TCE out of the show cave will reach into the millions.

He is negotiating with Northrup Grumman to be reimbursed for those costs.

Litton Systems Inc. used TCE to remove grease from metal parts when it manufactured circuit boards adjacent to the airport beginning in the 1960s.

Litton paid a $50,000 fine for the TCE pollution.

Public hearings planned on wider cleanup 

In late 2019, DNR plans to hold several public hearings about a proposal to remove TCE and other contaminants from the area's groundwater. At that time, DNR hopes to know how far the TCE has moved and where the far edges of the contamination plume are located.

Quinn, at DNR, said carbon filtration systems and reverse osmosis systems are effective at removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including TCE, from drinking water.

"Water softeners are not effective at removing VOCs," he noted. "Filtration systems such as these can range in price from $200 to $1,000 depending on the type of system and point of installation — under the sink vs. whole house. Carbon filtration systems are most often used."

Concerned about your well?

 Anyone who wants to have their private drinking water well tested for TCE contamination can contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Superfund Section at 573-751-4187 or by email at wane.roberts@dnr.mo.gov.