Moorestown Officials Provide Update on Closed Water Wells

One of two water wells that were closed last October will be the subject of a pilot program for possibly the next two years while the other will be turned back on and monitored on a monthly basis indefinitely.

The decision was announced during a special council meeting Tuesday night at town hall.

Wells 7 and 9 of the North Church Street Water Plant previously tested positive for containing the unregulated contaminant Trichloropropane (TCP 1,2,3). As of August, each well had .067 parts per billion of TCP 1,2,3 in the water, and the wells were closed two months later.

The Township hired toxicologist Dr. James Bus to conduct further testing on the two wells, which are less than 100 feet apart. That testing took place two weeks ago.

At that time, TCP 1,2,3 levels in the water produced by Well 9 were higher, at .103 parts per billion, but Well 7 levels turned up non-detectable.

Well 7 was to be reopened as of Wednesday, Township Manager Scott Carew said.

It will be tested on a monthly basis indefinitely, according to Township Utilities Engineer L. Russell Trice, Senior Associate at Richard A. Alaimo Assoc., Consulting Engineers.

If further testing finds levels of TCP 1,2,3 have returned, the township will consult the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) as to what the next step should be.

Well 9, which runs 30 feet deeper into the ground than Well 7, remains closed while it is subject to testing under a pilot program. Samples will be collected from this well on a weekly basis for four weeks. It will take another four weeks to get results and another few weeks to finalize a report before determining what treatment the township should pursue.

The whole process is expected to take between 18 months and two years. At the same time, the township will remove trichloroethylene (TCE) and manganese and other radiological contamination found in the water.

The cost of the pilot program is $15,000, which the township will pay for upfront before seeking reimbursement from NJDEP.

With the loss of Well 7 for the final few months of 2014, Moorestown spent $400,000 more than it normally would have for water last year by going through New Jersey American Water, Carew said.

The township has paid $1.2 million so far this year, but it can reduce the amount it spends the rest of the year if Well 7 remains open.

Without being able to identify who was responsible for contaminating the water in the first place, the township will not be able to recover the money it has already lost.

During the pilot program, Well 7 will handle all water distribution from the North Church Street plant.

“You don’t need both wells,” Carew said. “They’re both there so they can alternate, but you only need one well.”

The Township is also looking at ways to modernize the water treatment plant on Kings Highway, and at turning the wells back on at the Hartford Road plant. Hartford Road has been inactive for over 20 years.

Councilman Greg Newcomer questioned why the wells weren’t retested until two weeks ago, claiming he’s been asking for that since the issue first came up for discussion.

“I would like to know how we got here,” he said.

“DEP is the expert and I wish we got more guidance from them,” Councilwoman Stacey Jordan said. “That’s been my concern from the beginning.”

DEP representatives Fred Sickels and Karen Fell were present Tuesday night. They said it’s possible retesting earlier may not have even resulted in a non-detectable result.

They also said TCP 1,2,3 behaves “erratically,” and even moving the well over six feet in hopes of avoiding contaminated water may not work, as the contaminant seems to move underground.

One resident suggested testing both wells on a weekly basis, but officials responded by saying the two sets of tests are being done for different reasons. DEP officials said testing Well 7 once a month won’t hurt, and that Well 9 was being tested weekly because they were attempting to determine their best option for treatment.

TCP is a completely man-made element likely to act as a carcinogenic in humans, according to epa.gov.

However, it is not considered a contaminant because there are no federal standards in place. Hajna said the federal government is considering putting standards in place to regulate the amount of TCP permitted in drinking water.

Hawaii is the only state in the country to establish standards for TCP 1,2,3, calling for no more than 0.6 parts per billion in the water.