ELKTON – A plume of toxic groundwater on the property of an abandoned Elkton munitions factory is under investigation as a Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency.
In its heyday during World War II, the factory — then known as Triumph Explosives, Inc. — manufactured bombs and ammunition for the U.S. Department of Defense.
After the war, the factory was used to make flares, fireworks and batteries, says Lorie Baker, the Mid-Atlantic region coordinator of the National Priorities List of so-called toxic “Superfund” sites.
Now, a plume of liquid trichloroethene — a de-greaser for machine parts — in the property’s groundwater has led the Environmental Protection Agency to nominate the site to the National Priorities List of places “where hazardous contaminants could impact public health” or the environment, according to a press release.
The nomination was made Tuesday. A 60-day comment period follows the nomination.
Unless the Environmental Protection Agency receives “significant comments” opposing the listing, the site — now known as the Dwyer Property after a post-World War II owner — will be included on the National Priorities List at the end of the comment period.
And since the Environmental Protection Agency has not found any “responsible parties” related to the site or its toxic plume, “we don’t anticipate any comments,” Baker says.
The full extent of the contamination is also unknown.
“Basically the groundwater beneath the site is contaminated with solvents,” Baker says, but “we haven’t really identified the extent of the plume,” which most likely comes from an on-site source, she says.
“Once (the contaminant) gets into the ground water, it can spread,” but “it hasn’t spread that far yet.”
So far, “we haven’t found anybody’s drinking water wells contaminated” by the plume, Baker adds.
Since Elkton has its own municipal water supply, “there should be no concern for the residents,” she says.
Further investigation is still needed, says Roy Seneca, a spokesperson for the Mid-Atlantic region office of the National Priorities List.
The Maryland Department of the Environment has already dug a number of test wells on the site, Seneca says, but because it has limited resources, the department asked the Environmental Protection Agency for assistance.
Once the extent of the contamination is known, the two agencies will work together to clean the site up, Seneca adds.
A common treatment for contaminated ground water is the pump-and-treat method, by which a well is dug and filled with water, which absorbs contaminants from the surrounding soil. The contaminated water is then treated, Seneca says.
Elkton town officials declined to comment on the Superfund listing.
– By Capital News Service’s Laura L. Thornton
