Service | Rates | Gas | Water | Contact Us | Home
5.12.03 Pollutants won't delay permit for water wells MEAD, Neb. -- The Environmental Protection Agency has detected elevated levels of radioactivity in the aquifer near where the University of Nebraska buried low-level nuclear waste -- and about two miles from the site of Omaha's future water supply. Further study is needed to determine whether the radioactivity poses a health threat, and if so, how far it has spread, said Gene Gunn, regional branch chief for the EPA's Superfund division. Radioactivity is everywhere in the environment. The findings come as the Army Corps of Engineers nears a decision on whether to issue a permit for the Metropolitan Utilities District to begin work on its long-delayed water plant. Some of that delay has been because of concern about extensive groundwater pollution from a former munitions plant near Mead. Rodney Schwartz of the corps said the findings about radioactivity should not derail the corps' decision. Given that pollution exists nearby, the corps, EPA and M.U.D. are working together, he said, to prevent problems should the corps issue a permit. M.U.D. wants to dig new wells along the Platte River aquifer to expand Omaha's water reserves by about 40 percent. After several years of delay and two summers of voluntary water restrictions in the metropolitan area, pressure is building on the federal government to OK the project. The findings of radioactivity underscore, said Gunn and Schwartz, the need for tightly written conditions governing M.U.D.'s operations. Schwartz said the conditions would require M.U.D. to monitor contamination and adjust its pumping should there be any indication of new movement. The corps' goal, Schwartz said, is that M.U.D.'s pumping "would have no measurable impact" on contaminants at the munitions cleanup site. The test results are also a potential headache for the University of Nebraska. NU has been sued by the federal government to help pay for the $120 million cleanup of the contaminated aquifer. The university could, for example, also be asked to help pay for cleanup costs associated with the radioactivity, should it turn out to be a health risk. Gunn said some of the water samples on the eastern side of the site detected "elevated" levels of radioactivity. The highest readings were found closest to the areas where NU buried medical and research waste in the 1970s. Judy Roots, an NU attorney, said the university has seen preliminary test results from the EPA. Once it receives the final report, it can better analyze them. At this point, she said, she thinks the findings are of "minimal concern." Brenda Osthus, director of environmental health and safety for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said she thinks the EPA samples are detecting radioactivity that naturally occurs in soil. Tiny soil particles, she said, may be present in the water that the EPA tested. The tests, Roots said, have found one isotope, tritium, that can be tied to the university's waste. The water sample that detected tritium registered 613 picoCuries per liter, she said, "well below" the federal drinking water standard of 20,000 picoCuries per liter. The recent tests focused on radioactivity that might be linked to NU's waste. Prior to those tests, M.U.D.'s project prompted federal regulators to study two scenarios: first, whether pollutants at the former munitions site could contaminate Omaha's drinking water supply; and second, whether M.U.D.'s pumping could exert enough pull to enlarge the area of contamination. On the first point, all parties involved think that with appropriate monitoring, Omaha's water supply is safe. It is the possible impact of pumping that has required more extensive discussion. Because of that, MUD would have to pick up some of the monitoring costs; the radioactivity has the potential to affect how M.U.D. uses its well field. The EPA should know "relatively soon," Gunn said, whether the radioactivity poses a risk. If it does, a more time-consuming effort will be needed to determine how widely the aquifer is contaminated. M.U.D. will need about five years to bring its wells on line, giving the EPA enough time to map out any problem, Gunn said. Tom Wurtz, general manager for M.U.D., declined to comment on the latest test results. "We are awaiting the decision of the corps," he said, "and appreciate all the hard work of the corps and the EPA on this permitting process." Most of the contamination in the aquifer is in the form of solvents and explosives. That contamination predates the university's ownership. During World War II and the Korean War, the land was home to the Nebraska Ordnance Plant. During the 1970s, under a state permit, the university buried medical and research waste in the area. That waste includes paper, plastic and glass. |
||||