EPA Proposes Additional Water Line Connections for Groundwater Contamination at Tinkham Garage Superfund Site in Londonderry, NH
WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 6, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in consultation with New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), is proposing additional connections to an existing water line for residents whose wells have been found to have contamination and whom live northeast section of the Tinkham Garage Superfund Site (Site). This proposal is included in a draft Explanation of Significant Differences, a document that provides details on the contamination and this proposal. EPA and NH DES will hold a public informational meeting on October 8th at 6:00 pm in the Merrill Conference Room at the Town Hall located at 268B Mammoth Road in Londonderry to discuss the details of this proposal and the next steps.
Last winter, NHDES, conducted a residential well sampling program not related to the Site, and that sampling activity identified several water supply wells with contamination similar to those being monitored at the Tinkham Site. While additional monitoring within the neighborhood continues, NHDES immediately provided impacted households with water treatment systems and/or bottled water depending on the test results.
EPA has drafted an Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) which is proposing the use of an existing waterline to provide the most permanent and sustainable solution to protect human health. The draft ESD also establishes a cleanup level in groundwater at the Site for the compound 1,4-Dioxane (an additional contaminant identified at the Site). The draft ESD will be available for public comment for 21-days from October 9th through October 30th.
The Tinkham Garage Superfund Site covers about 25 acres in Londonderry, New Hampshire. The open and wooded land is bordered by residential and agricultural land. During the 1970s, oil, oily materials, washings from septic tank trucks, and other substances were discharged on the site. In May 1978, the State ordered the site owner to prevent further degradation of surface water and ground water. In November 1981, EPA detected chemicals in ground water at the site. In October 1982, volatile organic chemicals were identified in surface water and ground water in areas adjacent to the site. A waterline was installed in 1983 to provide alternative water to the over 400 residents living southwest of the Site, whose water supply was found to be impacted by Site contaminants.
For more information please visit:
http://www.epa.gov/region1/superfund/sites/tinkham
Contact Information: Rodney Elliott, (617) 918-8372
