Date: Fri 14-Aug-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Appleblossom-water-line

Full Text:

Work Begins On Appleblossom Water Line

(with photo)

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Workmen this week started preliminary construction on the long-awaited

installtion of a public water supply in the Appleblossom Lane neighborhood, an

area where some domestic water wells have become contaminated with industrial

solvents.

The work crews were sawing through sections of asphalt to prepare streets for

trenching and water line installation. Steel water pipes are being stockpiled

along the edge of neighborhood roads.

Overall project costs are approximately $1.5 million, including funding

provided by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), town

department of public works, and United Water, said Fred Hurley, town public

works director.

In late July, the State Bond Commission approved a grant of $183,157 as the

final portion of the $1.5 million project.

The homes to receive the public water supply either have polluted wells or

have wells that are threatened with potential pollution with

tetrachloroethylene (a specific type of polychloroethylene, PCE) at

concentrations exceeding acceptable levels.

Consolidated Construction of East Hartford is the prime contractor on the

construction job. The company will use subcontractors for specialized aspects

of the project, Mr Hurley said.

The estimated construction time on the project is six months.

The town has installed stormwater drainage in the neighborhood in preparation

for water line installation.

United Water's water service will be extended to homes on Appleblossom Lane,

Dogwood Terrace, and a section of Cedar Hill Road through the installation of

new water mains and individual service lines. Water from existing water mains

will be extended via new individual service lines to properties on South Main

Street, Prospect Drive, and Pecks Lane.

Wells now in use will be capped to prevent their future use.

The water line extension project is a joint effort of the town's Department of

Public Works and Health Department. After the water line extension is

complete, the town will own the water system for one year after which it will

become the property of United Water, the privately-owned local public water

utility company.

Ninety-three properties in the residential Appleblossom Lane area will be

connected to the water supply system.

PCE, the chemical which is contaminating some wells, also is known as perc,

perclene, and perchlor. The chemical is used as an industrial degreasing

compound and as a solvent in the dry cleaning of fabrics.

The health effects of drinking water with low levels of PCE are not known.

Results of animal studies conducted with high amounts of PCE show that

chemical can cause liver and kidney damage and cause liver and kidney cancers.

PCE may reasonably be anticipated to be a carcinogen or cancer-causing agent,

according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

It is thought that the solvents found their way into the groundwater after

they were used to degrease machinery somewhere in the neighborhood. The

pollution problem point of origin has not been found.

Rather than spend large sums on trying to locate the source of the pollution,

the DEP opted to direct its resources at providing a safe drinking water

supply to residents of the neighborhood.