Warden still pumping Well 5

WARDEN - Warden is continuing to pump Well 5 in an attempt to lower levels of ethylene dibromide, as tests continue to show improvement.

The well has been out of commission for several years after state Department of Health inspectors discovered high levels of ethylene dibromide (EDB,) City Administrator Mike Thompson said. Initial tests showed a level of 0.19 parts per billion, almost four times the allowed limit of .05 parts per billion.

The US Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of the fumigant in 1983 after tests showed it to be a carcinogen, and that it caused reproductive disorders in test animals, according to EPA records.

"We started, I believe, on the tenth, and are still running right now, so we hope we get that EDB down a lot lower," he said. "The last reading we had was still at a 0.096 (parts per billion); we've got to get it down to 0.05 (parts per billion.)"

The city has attempted to lower the level of EDB by placing an inflatable packer in the well to separate the contaminated higher aquifer from the uncontaminated lower aquifer and pumping water out, Thompson said in a previous interview.

A test in July showed the chemical's level dropped to 0.101 parts per billion, Thompson said. The city hopes to be able to keep the well as a back up in case the one of the other two city wells fail. If the city succeeds it plans to seal off the upper aquifer and just pump water from the lower one. If the pumping fails, the city will close the well.