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NPL Site Narrative for Perdido Ground Water Contamination
PERDIDO GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION
Perdido, Alabama
Federal Register Notice: September 8, 1983Conditions at listing (December 1982): The Perdido Ground Water Contamination Site covers about 125 acres in Perdido, Baldwin County, Alabama. No public drinking water is available. In November 1981, Perdido residents began to complain to the State that the water from their wells tasted bad. In February 1982, the State detected benzene in excess of the Federal drinking water standards in several residential wells. Additional sampling confirmed benzene in eight wells. In September 1982, health officials announced that ground water in Perdido was harmful to human health and recommended that people stop drinking their well water if they lived within 1 mile of a 1965 train derailment in which benzene and other chemicals were spilled. The county then arranged for delivery of two mobile drinking water tanks to Perdido.
Status (July 1983): In February 1983, the railroad agreed to fund installation of an alternate water supply for the community.
The State, with help from EPA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, is investigating the ground water contamination problem. In addition, EPA is preparing a remedial plan outlining the investigations needed to determine the full extent of cleanup required at the site. It will guide further actions at the site.
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.