Anniston Star
November 21, 2002

Army prepares to test wells, springs north of McClellan

By Sara Clemence
Star Staff Writer

The Army plans to test residential wells and springs north of Fort McClellan and dig 10 new monitoring wells to track groundwater contamination in the area.

The plan was announced Monday at a monthly meeting of the fort's Restoration Advisory Board, the community group that advises the government on the environmental cleanup of the former military base.

The groundwater beneath the fort is polluted with volatile organic compounds, a group of chemicals that includes the solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) and vinyl chloride, which is used to make PVC pipe. The chemicals, which came from an old landfill just inside the fort boundaries, have been linked to neurological problems, liver disorders and cancer.

So far, the Army has determined the southern, western and eastern boundaries of the underground chemical plume. Earlier this year, Weaver's water supply was thought to be in danger. But, in August, Army contractors announced that the plume was not moving westward from the fort, but was creeping slowly northward along Alabama Highway 21.

The residential survey will include more than 560 properties, most north of McClellan. The Army mail out letters around the beginning of the year to determine which properties have wells or springs, said Joseph H. Doyle, attorney for the fort transition force.

Door-to-door visits will follow the letters.

Most area residents are connected to city water and do not drink from residential wells, Doyle said.

The Army also will dig 10 monitoring wells, at a cost of more than $1 million, Doyle said. The Army has to create a work plan and have it approved by state and federal agencies before it installs the wells. Doyle said the project could start in January or February.

Some of the wells will be along Alabama Highway 21, and some will be on private properties, Doyle said.

Monday, the RAB also filled three vacant seats, electing to the board Jim Miller, general manager of Anniston Water Works and Sewer Board; Cheryl Bragg, executive director of the Anniston Museum of Natural History; and Dwight Mitchell, who is in charge of public works for the City of Weaver.

The next RAB meeting will be Jan. 13, 2003, in Building 215 at McClellan.