There is a plume of the VOC trichloroethylene (TCE) present in the soil and groundwater beneath a vacant machine tool shop here in Springfield, Vermont; the building is just a few hundred feet from the Black River, hence my concern. The EPA has had this place listed as a brownfield for years, and our regional planning commission has applied for a grant to assess the extent of the plume as part of a more comprehensive evaluation of the site, preparatory to remediation, I presume.
The RPC has asked me for a letter of support as they apply for the grant, and I've done so; now I'm preparing a project outline for some useful monitoring of the stretch of the river near the old factory. As of yet, there has been no indication of contamination; this will be a "watchdog" effort to gather baseline data so we are better able to recognize trends or see trouble spots. I'm in almost constant contact with the folks at our State's water quality lab, and I have a hand-held Hach meter to record TDS and conductivity readings. One of the suggestions the State folks have made is to collect crayfish (if I can catch them!) and send them to a lab for tissue testing. I was hoping I could use freshwater mussels since they are sessile, but either way, does anyone have a lab they can suggest? Thanks for reading, Kelly Stettner, Director BlackRiver Action Team (BRAT)...be part of the solution! Don't forget to "like" us on Facebook! 101 Perley Gordon Road Springfield, VT 05156 (802) 885-1533 http://www.BlackRiverActionTeam.org To change your subscription status, please REPLY and let us know how best to serve you.
