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EPA and NCDENR provide sampling results for the Mills Gap Groundwater Contamination Site in Skyland, N.C.

Release Date: 01/29/2008
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421, [email protected]

(Atlanta, Ga. – Jan. 29, 2008) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) announced the results today of a sampling investigation of 66 residential wells within a one-mile radius of the former CTS Corporation plant on Mills Gap Road in Skyland, N.C. NCDENR conducted the sampling under a cooperative agreement with EPA.

Of the 66 wells sampled, one active well showed the presence of Trichloroethylene (TCE) in excess of EPA's Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), the level established to be protective of human health. The well is located approximately three-fourths of a mile northeast of the site. The sampling also detected trace quantities of cis-1,2-Dichlorethylene, a breakdown product of TCE, below the MCL. EPA provided bottled water to the affected residence and re-tested the well in question. The second set of sampling confirmed the presence of TCE at the level indicated by the original testing.

NCDENR also identified all active residential wells in the immediate area of the contaminated well. On January 8, 2008, NCDENR tested eight wells not previously tested during the November and December sampling events. Of the eight wells, one well, located immediately east of the contaminated well, contained TCE below the MCL. No contaminants were detected in the other five wells.

Further sampling is necessary to determine if the contaminated wells are related to the former CTS plant on Mills Gap Road. NCDENR will conduct additional sampling during the week of January 28, 2008.

NOTE: EPA will host a public meeting to discuss the activities at the Mills Gap Groundwater Contamination site on Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Skyland Fire Department at 9 Miller Road in Asheville, N.C. EPA, NCDENR, Buncombe County Health Center, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will be available to answer questions about the residential well sampling, as well as other issues concerning the site including recent soil sampling, surface water sampling, and a vapor intrusion study.