2006 CPEO Military List Archive

From: Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>
Date: 17 Apr 2006 01:19:24 -0000
Reply: cpeo-military
Subject: [CPEO-MEF] Anniston (AL) water and TCE from Army bases
 
We'll drink to that ...

Opinion by Jim Miller (Anniston Water Works and Sewer Board)
Anniston Star (AL)
April 16, 2006

The two main themes in the recent Los Angeles Times TCE article (How the Pentagon blitzkrieged the EPA) are (1) the debate over what levels of TCE are harmful to humans and (2) the position of the Defense Department on its contribution to both the presence of TCE and to its cleanup and responsibilities.

Calhoun County is no stranger to this debate, as TCE has shown up in Coldwater Spring, the area's primary source for drinking water. The presence of TCE was first noted when scientific methods for measuring extremely small quantities of compounds coincided with the renewal of 1974’s Safe Drinking Water Act in 1986.

Although TCE is one of the most ubiquitous water contaminants across the country and can originate from a variety of household and commercial uses, in Calhoun County, it is acknowledged that the U.S. Army used huge quantities of the chemical at Fort McClellan and even more so at the Anniston Army Depot. Most of that use occurred before any known health effects were understood. TCE was commonly used as a degreasing agent and was frequently used in the cleaning of tanks and other machinery.

...

For the entire column, see
http://www.annistonstar.com/opinion/2006/as-insight-0416-0-6d15w1024.htm

--


Lenny Siegel Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041 Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545 Fax: 650/961-8918 <lsiegel@cpeo.org> http://www.cpeo.org


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