bally ground water essays

bally ground water essays The Bally ground water site is a municipal water supply well field in the borough of Bally in Berks county, near the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The Bally well field and the nearby springs to the northwest of the site are the public water sources for approximately 1,200 residents. The area near the site includes wetlands to the north and a manufacturing plant, Bally Engineered Structures, 1,000 feet to the south of municipal well number 3. Since the 1930s, degreasing solvents containing methylene chloride, TCA, Methanol, Toluene, and TCE have been used in manufacturing at this plant. In 1982, a state water quality check identified the plant as a source of VOC contamination in Ballys municipal wells. The ground water and surface water is contaminated with various VOC's, including tetrachlorethane, trichloroethane, and dichloroethene. Potential health risks exist through direct contact with or drinking of contaminated ground water or surface water. Currently contamination le vels in active public water supply wells do not pose any danger; however, private well contamination does pose a risk. Former lagoons lay underneath the plant and are also considered potential sources of aquifer contamination. From December 1982 to March 1987, the borough of Bally did not use the contaminated municipal well number three for water supply. The water was periodically pumped and discharged into a nearby pond to contain the contaminant plume. Pumping, however, had the effect of drawing VOCS deeper into the aquifer. The Well was completely shut down in March of 1987, due to results of additional ground water contamination studies indicated that 19 of 35 wells sampled, contained detectable levels of VOCS. Currently, VOC-contaminated ground water extends from the plant to the east and northeast. Contaminant movement has become more controlled since pumping and air stripping pilot ...