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NPL Site Narrative for Riverfront
RIVERFRONT
New Haven, Missouri
Federal Register Notice: December 1, 2000Conditions at Proposal (July 27, 2000): The Riverfront site encompasses a plume of tetrachloroethylene (PCE)-contaminated ground water underlying the town of New Haven, Missouri. The site is being proposed to the NPL because of the presence of this contaminant plume, which has affected the town's municipal water supply. PCE has been detected in municipal wells at levels above health-based benchmarks (that is, at levels which the scientific community has determined may pose health risks). The municipal water supply is the only source of drinking water for New Haven and serves the town's entire population of more than 1,700.
PCE has been detected in New Haven Well No. 1 at concentrations ranging from 1.8 micrograms per liter (ug/L) to 21 ug/L. PCE has also been detected in New Haven Well No. 2. PCE concentrations in this well have increased steadily over time and have been as high as 140 ug/L. EPA has established a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for PCE of 5 ug/L. This is the highest permissible level allowed by EPA in drinking water.
In May 1993, MDNR notified the municipality of New Haven that it was operating in violation of state and federal drinking water regulations because concentrations of PCE in New Haven Well No. 2 continued to exceed the MCL. New Haven Well No. 2 was subsequently taken out of service. New Haven Well No. 1 is currently used as a standby well for emergency situations.
PCE has never been detected in New Haven's other municipal wells. New Haven Well No. 3, which has been in operation since before the PCE plume was first detected, is located approximately 1 mile southwest of New Haven Wells No. 1 and No. 2. In September 1994, a new municipal well, New Haven Well No. 4, was installed. New Haven Well No. 4 is located approximately 0.4 miles north-northwest of Well No. 3 and approximately 0.8 miles southwest of New Haven Wells No. 1 and No. 2. Sampling by various agencies has shown no detectable concentrations of PCE in New Haven Wells No. 3 or No. 4.
Based on information gathered during the site investigations to date, several potential contributors to the PCE contamination have been identified. The use of PCE has been documented at two potential facilities in the area and soil samples collected from these facilities indicate the presence of PCE. However, due to the presence of other potential contributors and complex hydrogeology in the area, the PCE detected in the municipal wells cannot be definitely attributed to either of these facilities.
Status (December 2000): Field activities during the spring and summer of 2000 included the installation and sampling of bedrock monitoring wells (5 total) near two suspected facilities, packer testing in the contaminated city well No. 2, and reconnaissance sampling of creeks and springs. Sample results from bedrock monitoring wells indicate PCE contamination as high as 290 ug/L in the bedrock south of the contaminated city well No. 2 at depths of 465 ft. Bedrock monitoring wells north of city well No. 2 contained PCE at much lower concentrations, 1.4 to 22.8 ug/L. Reconnaissance sampling indicate PCE contamination in two small creeks in the New Haven area and the discovery of buried and partially buried industrial wastes. The U.S. EPA also conducted an emergency removal action to replace a contaminated plastic water line and remove PCE contaminated soils adjacent to one former facility known to have used PCE. The plastic water line only serviced a hydrant at the city dog pound and a nearby public restroom. Concentrations of PCE in a restroom sink serviced by the plastic line were as high as 2,210 ug/L. Samples from nearby residential and commercial taps and fire hydrants did not contain PCE indicating that the contamination was local and restricted to the plastic service line.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.