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EPA to Hold a Public Availability Session Regarding the Capital City Plume Site, Montgomery, Alabama

Release Date: 11/01/2011
Contact Information: James Pinkney, 404-562-9183, pinkney.james@epa.gov

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a Public Availability Session on Thursday, November 3, 2011 regarding the Capital City Plume Site in Montgomery, AL. Representatives from EPA, the United States Geological Survey, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will be available to provide information and answer questions about site activities.

The Public Availability Session will be held from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the Montgomery Public Library, 245 High Street, Montgomery, Ala.

Groundwater contamination in the Montgomery area, known as the “Capital City Plume” was discovered in 1991, but the disposal of the contaminated water likely took place from at least the 1940s to the 1970s. Previous investigations were unable to identify the source of the contamination. The current study, conducted by the United States Geological Surveys’ Alabama and South Carolina Water Science Centers, in cooperation with the EPA collected information from 2008 to 2010 to investigate the potential source area of contaminants detected in groundwater.

Analysis of the samples taken, combined with maps of historical land use since 1842, indicate that the perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE)-contaminated shallow aquifer beneath the Capital City Plume Site likely resulted from past use and disposal of wastewater (that contained chlorinated solvents) into the sewer and storm water systems by former printing operations that occupied multiple locations in downtown Montgomery.

Results from the study also show that a source of PCE and TCE still exists in the ground near an original release area, providing a continual source of PCE and TCE to the shallow and intermediate parts of the shallow aquifer beneath the city.

Community members interested in obtaining additional information are encouraged to contact Sherryl A. Carbonaro, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, at (877) 718-3752, ext. 28611 or 678-575-7355.

For more information about the Site, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/npl/nplal/caplumal.htm

ATTENTION: A media availability session will be held at the Montgomery Public Library, 245 High Street, Montgomery, Alabama from 5:00 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 3, 2011. Site representatives will be available to answer media questions concerning Site activities.