Anniston Star
August 2, 2002

Speaker's Stand ... On clean water

By Christine Ziebold

Reading your report on trichlorethylene (TCE) near Coldwater Spring in late June I feel called to reply.

I am a physician and public health scientist in Minneapolis, where the corresponding Superfund site is called the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP). The history of TCAAP mirrors the one in Anniston and many others around the country. This is worth pointing out to your readers.

Our parallel story - I just had to cut and paste, exchange dates, names and numbers of your article:

Here too, TCE leaked for decades, four to be exact, from the Depot. This is because in the 1950's was dumped and buried at the rate of tens of thousands of gallons per month, a process your environmental correspondent describes as "industrial operation." It resulted in an ongo-ing Superfund investigation that began 19 years ago, so we have a bit of leeway in experience.

Here, too, investigation into the TCE pollution was focused on several toxic plumes migrating southeast and west in groundwater from the military installation. Here, too, high levels of TCE were detected at the Depot boundaries and in the aquifer which is a major source of the Twin Cities drinking water. Here, too, what you call "quick actions to protect the water supply" were touted; Ms. Bluemink cites the Army's laundry list of sampling, more sampling and studying. In the strict sense, these are no protective actions per se but confirmatory actions. In our case, even bottled water was supplied initially ... Here, too, millions of dollars were spent to study and remediate (325 as of 1999). And here too, lack of understanding of the aquifer have complicated the investigation. So far this is "generic" information and not "news" to me.

We were in the fortunate situation that the neighboring city of New Brighton successfully sued the Army and enforced a thorough adherence to the promised cleanup (quoted as the "contingency plan" in your article).

We now have several expensive water treatment systems (quoted as "air stripping devices" in your article) protecting the plume from moving south. Their electrical operating expenses alone amount to $1 million per year. They are threatened to be switched off as the cleanup comes to an end this year.

So, thank you for reporting a situation which you experience on a local level, but which is in fact of national and global concern, indeed extending into space. How many of your readers know who our nation's number one polluter is? I am concerned about the spin that your reporter puts on the truly newsworthy story.

Merely reporting the words of the Army and regulatory agencies without putting them into historical and national context does not create the much-needed understanding of the situation. For example: To quote "TCE is a contaminant that can be treated relatively easily" instills a don't worry attitude. While this statement is not incorrect, the stress should be on relatively.

Note the different flavor when juxtaposed with "compared to lead, depleted uranium or mercury!" These are the elements which are notoriously "overlooked." Our Superfund site in fact, still struggles with (not admitting it easily, of course). Another example is your quote of the water board, "As water-treatment equipment goes, it's not that expensive. It depends on the size and configuration we decided to use."

The specialist is right in the strict sense here, too, although confined in his view; again the stress should be on "it depends." The wider picture invariably is: In the experience of every Superfund cleanup it actually is expensive, always more than anticipated, especially if it has to be operated indefinitely, as can be the case. And at this point in Anniston it may be since you report the Army continues to use TCE as an industrial degreaser at the Depot.

With much needed public health assessments at Superfund sites lacking, insufficient or lagging behind, the only cost effective method is to stop the lucrative but unhealthy "industrial operations" of the Army and their contractors. Prevention of war has never been costlier.

Christine Ziebold, M.D.,Ph.D.
Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases
University of Minnesota
School of Public Health
Member of Alliant Action and Military Toxics Project