In other news, three of five private wells in the vicinity of the Radford Arsenal tested positive for perchlorate. Two of the five wells were in Pulaski and three on the far side of the New River in Montgomery County. Testing was paid for by the Virginia Sierra Club, although results have not been made publicly available nor sent to members.
The question now is, how far does the perchlorate plume spread? What agency is responsible for testing all drinking water wells - private and municipal - for perchlorate contamination? Who is financially liable for this testing to determine whether perchlorate contamination, originating at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, has contaminated groundwater off site? The EPA directed RAAP to test all drinking water wells within a five mile radius of each contaminated site when the facility was being assessed a Hazard Rating Score (HRS) during the process of determining listing on the National Priorities List (NPL) in the early 1990's. The testing that EPA directed the Arsenal to perform never happened. Senator Warner's office was made aware of this seemingly egregious failure to accurately assess risk when his staff member was presented with petition signatures from over 340 residents calling for well testing. These petitions were presented to his office last April, along with a review of the EPA Site Inspection results from 2011. Both issues seem to warrant follow up from Senator Warner. Unfortunately, the Senator has not responded to either issue yet.
NOTE CORRECTION AS OF 9-6-13 ~ FRIDAY AFTERNOON!!! That was 3 of 5 wells tested positive...my sincere apology for the shoddy proofreading!
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