Contaminated well-water affects our Sandhills
There is a rather alarming article in today's News & Observer, regarding contaminated well-water in Rockingham, Richmond, Moore, and Montgomery counties (the "Sandhills").
From the N&O:
"Tests have found 117 tainted wells in Montgomery, Richmond and Moore counties in the past year, 77 of those at unsafe levels. The number continues to grow as alarmed residents have their water analyzed...
Contamination levels as high as 55 times the federal safe drinking-water standard have been detected...
The chemicals have intimidating names: the pesticides dibromochloropropane, called DBCP, and 1,2-dichloropropane; and an associated chemical, 1,2,3-trichloropropane."
Apparentely, in the 1940s and 1950s, this area was known for its peach orchards. Strong pesticides were routinely applied to the orchards to kill nematodes infesting the plants. These chemicals were banned in 1977, but the damage had been done, and over time, the tainted soil leached into ground wells, causing contamination at 55 times a "safe" level, and human health effects still being researched. Judging from this recounting of a resident of the area, the whole thing sounds all too much like the Erin Brockovich story:
"But off Fox Road, doubts about her family's health grow along with the algae that has turned Lisa England's swimming pool green. She's been advised not to use the pool, which is full of contaminated well water.
England, a 48-year-old former correctional officer, has suffered strokes and seizures and can no longer work. Her grown daughter, Tiffany, who lives at home, has had undiagnosed bouts of vomiting for two years. One of the family's Labrador retrievers, Buck, died of bone cancer."
It will be interesting to see how much more research is done to investigate the possible long-term health effects on the well-water users. In the meantime, we can only hope they get the clean water that they need from public health officials.
In the midst of a busy campaign season and economic woes, our elected leaders often lose track of down-to-earth issues, like groundwater contamination, that affect people's health and safety, and thus government too often fails in its core responsibility to protect citizens. As the Sixth District's Representative in the US House, I will always be conscientious of the environmental concerns of my constituents and will do my best to direct more resources to the enforcement of our environmental laws, in partnership with state and local governments. I care about North Carolinians having good jobs, affordable health care, clean air and water, and safe food, and that is why I am running to bring change to Washington.