Oxford Township and Village’s water supplies are safe.
That was the conclusion of test results sent to officials regarding the 18 monitoring wells the two municipalities have in place to detect the presence of pollutants in the groundwater.
‘There is no degradation of groundwater quality due to volatile organic compounds (VOC) at any of the monitoring locations, which would otherwise signal an approaching impact to the (township and village) water supply wells,? wrote Daniel J. Whalen, an engineer with the Grand Rapids-based William & Works, in the official reports. ‘There are no detectable levels of VOC contamination at any of the sampled locations.?
The results were based on samples obtained in August.
‘It’s always a relief to see these tests come back clean,? said township Supervisor Bill Dunn. ‘The last thing we need is contaminated water putting people’s health at risk and forcing the township or the village to dig new wells. That would be a nightmare for us. I’m glad everything checked out okay.?
Volatile organic compounds are emitted as gases from thousands of products while they’re in use or even being stored, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Examples include paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper, graphics and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers, and photographic solutions.
Exposure to VOCs can have short and long-term health effects including eye, nose and throat irritation; headaches; loss of coordination and nausea; damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system; and cancer, according to the EPA.
Back in 2011, the township and village were awarded $21,127 and $24,975, respectively, in state grants to help protect their groundwater supply from contamination.
Using this money, the township and village had monitoring wells installed at key locations to detect the presence of pollutants that could migrate from certain known sources of contamination such as industrial and commercial sites.
‘This monitoring well system is intended to provide advanced warning of any changes in groundwater chemistry which could otherwise cause contamination to the (township or village) wellfield and surrounding aquifer,? Whalen wrote.
Although the two municipalities are served by separate water systems, they both pump their drinking water from the same ground.
‘We know we’ve got pollution in the ground in certain spots and if that stuff starts moving around, it won’t care about boundary lines or who owns what well,? Dunn said.
‘It’s important for us to work together on this to protect our water supply. Everybody wants clean water.?
In addition to the monitoring wells, water samples were also taken from the private well system that serves Hillcrest condominiums on W. Drahner Rd.
There were no detectable levels of VOC contamination there, either.