[Pharmwaste] Re: What's in your water? Cape Cod as a case study in ground water migration.

[Ed Gottlieb]

Laurie,
 
Thanks for passing on this interesting story!
 
It brings to mind an off-subject tangent.  As a big block of sand, Cape
Code is a great place to study the migration of pollutants in
groundwater as well as the infiltration of sea water.  Decades ago, when
I lived on the Cape, I saw a map showing a band of high concentration of
phosphorus at quite some distance from the recharge basins at a
wastewater plant for a large military air base on Cape Cod.  High
phosphate detergents were in common use for a limited number of years
and the band showed how far the groundwater, carrying that detergent
residual, had migrated.  TCE was the more significant contaminant.  It
was used to de-grease airplanes on the tarmac.
 
From: http://toxics.usgs.gov/highlights/pHexperiment/pHexp_details.html

Cape Cod Toxic Substances Hydrology Research Site, Massachusetts
The Cape Cod research site is near a wastewater-treatment facility at
the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR). A treated-sewage plume
originated from the facility’s infiltration beds, which were used from
about 1936 to 1995. The plume extends more than 6 kilometers from the
disposal site in the sand and gravel aquifer and contains a complex
mixture of phosphate, nitrate, metal ions (such as zinc), detergents,
organic chemicals, and microbes. The plume and adjacent parts of the
aquifer serve as an ideal field laboratory where a multidisciplinary
team of scientists is investigating how contaminants are transported in
groundwater.
 
Ed Gottlieb
Chair, Coalition for Safe Medication Disposal
Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator
Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility
525 3rd Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
(607) 273-8381
fax: (607) 273-8433
 
>>> "Tenace, Laurie" <Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us> 9/20/2013 9:25 AM
>>>

As the Cape debates wastewater treatment options, the Silent Spring
Institute is offering a little more to think about regarding the Cape’s
wells.
According to a newly published study, pharmaceuticals, consumer product
chemicals and other emerging contaminants can be found in public
drinking water wells on Cape Cod, and septic systems may be to blame.
The study, funded by the Massachusetts Environmental Trust and the US
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and published online in the
peer-reviewed journal “Science of the Total Environment,” details an
investigation conducted by Silent Spring on the Cape that looked at
emerging contaminants in septic systems and the impact such systems
might have on area wells.
Dr. Laurel Schaider, a research scientist at Silent Spring and lead
author of the study, said that the goal of the study was to determine
whether there were emerging contaminants in well water, and if so, which
ones and whether septic systems properly filtered them out.
“Caffeine and acetaminophen were very well removed,” Schaider said.
Not so well removed were an antibiotic containing sulfa, and PFOS, a
chlorinated flame retardant commonly used in a number of home
stain-resistant and nonstick coatings, as well as firefighting foams.
Such contaminants, particularly antibiotics, cause alarm because
long-term effects on humans are unknown. Antibiotics in drinking water,
even in low numbers, could cause resistance in time.
The Silent Spring study found contaminants in 15-20 public wells and
two distribution systems supplying drinking water on the Cape at levels
that were among the highest recorded in the US. None of the chemicals
found, Schaider said, are federally regulated.
Of significant concern, Schaider said, are septic systems that aren’t
working properly. According to Schaider, the Environmental Protection
Agency estimates that 10-20 percent of all septic systems are failing,
which can mean more contaminants reaching drinking water wells.
“The action is in the leach field or filtration,” Schaider said. “If
you don’t get your septic system pumped regularly, then you would not
expect to see as good removal of contaminants.”
What to do to solve the problem, Schaider said, is not clear.
“I don’t think it’s a one-size-fits-all solution on the Cape,” she
said. “It’s a cycle – pulling water out of the ground, putting
wastewater into the ground. How do we help separate it?”
Nitrogen is also a concern, since it is estimated that 80-85 percent of
nitrogen comes from human waste not being properly processed via the
Cape’s septic systems.
Having the study published in the peer-review journal is a big step
toward raising awareness, Schaider said, as it spreads the information
to a wider audience. In terms of addressing the issue of potentially
harmful drinking water, Schaider said one of the easiest solutions is a
solid carbon block water filter. Switching to environmentally safe home
products, including personal hygiene, housekeeping, and laundry items,
can also help.
In Falmouth, 60 private homeowners are participating in an eco-toilet
evaluation program to see whether such toilets help reduce the amount of
waste, and therefore chemicals, that is processed through local septic
systems.
Silent Spring will hold a public presentation of the study findings, as
well as the eco-toilets project and breast cancer prevention research on
Oct. 2 at town hall in Hyannis beginning at noon.
A challenge facing Silent Spring and its efforts to continue
researching clean water on the Cape is funding. Silent Spring founder
Cheryl Osimo said that the difficult economy resulted in a loss of state
funding, increasing the need for private donations.
“We are so grateful to the Cape community for supporting the work of
Silent Spring during the past 19 years,” Osimo said. “We hope they’ll
continue to support us.”
Osimo is also thankful for the support of the Mass Environmental Trust,
as well as the state’s past funding of Silent Spring.
“We appreciate the past funds,” Osimo said. “And we hope that they will
continue to provide support in the future.”
For more information on the Silent Spring Institute and its research
visit silentspring.org.
 
 
Laurie Tenace
Environmental Specialist
Waste Reduction Section
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 4555
Tallahassee, FL 32399-2400
850.245.8759
Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us
 


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