Model, testing at odds

[Admin]

Model, testing at odds

JENNIFER HLAD


Residual contamination may have migrated into the groundwater underneath a section of the housing at Tarawa Terrace I and the elementary school there, according to a recent water modeling study by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

The contamination originally came from ABC One Hour Cleaners and impacted residents prior to 1985; however, the water that could possibly be impacted now has no relation to the water supply for residents, said Maj. Nat Fahy, public affairs director for Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.

"The water used in homes and schools in this residential area is absolutely safe to drink," Fahy said. "It has been stringently tested and treated to a standard that exceeds both federal and state water safety regulations."

The Environmental Protection Agency has been working to clean up the site for the past 20 years, and their tests "have never shown evidence of residual contamination in these areas," he said.

"It is important to note that the new ATSDR information is only based on modeling at this time," Fahy said.

The ATSDR is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is separate from the EPA.

Base officials notified residents Wednesday about the study and further testing in the area, Fahy said.

The notification message tells residents the base has "taken immediate action to collect samples for further analysis in order to help with the cleanup effort and to ensure the health and safety of Tarawa Terrace residents."

The results from the sampling should be available with two weeks, according to the message.

Contact Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com