FAIRFIELD, Me., Oct. 19, 2000 (Central Maine Newspapers)— Drinking water around two closed landfills once used by Scott Paper Co. is not being polluted by what is buried in the landfills, a geologist told a handful of Fairfield residents Wednesday night.
Elizabeth A. Champeon, senior geologist at S.W. Cole Engineering Inc., of Brewer, said her team reviewed files and documents dating back to the 1970s, looking for potential contamination of domestic water wells and ground water in Fairfield Center.
"The landfills are not likely affecting the wells which have been tested to date, because the water from the landfills cannot reach the wells," Champeon said in her report.
Besides, she said, all the residential wells tested by the state Department of Environmental Protection and a private company hired by Kimberly-Clark Corp. are uphill from the landfills and, therefore, cannot be affected by the dumps.
"We found no connection between residential wells and landfill plumes," she said.
The presentation Wednesday night was part of a special public hearing called by the Town Council. About 10 residents attended.
But earlier in the day Wednesday, Steven D. Silin, an attorney representing 19 people who are suing about disease and wrongful death related to alleged illegal dumping at one of the sites, said the Cole report has no bearing on the case.
"We certainly appreciate what the state is attempting to do with limited resources," Silin said. "We are not limited or bound by any of those findings.
"What happened in the past we believe has had tremendous bearing on people who are living there today," he said.
Data was collected from studies conducted at 40 homes in the area of Green Road, Pirate Lane and Middle Road. The S.W. Cole report was financed with $15,000 from the governor's contingency fund and an additional $15,000 raised by Fairfield taxpayers at town meeting.
Champeon's job was to review "with an independent eye" information and data on area water quality collected by state and private agencies over the last 25 years.
The question being raised in Fairfield Center is whether a high number of cancer cases and other illnesses can be linked to the dumps.
According to Champeon's report, many of the water wells tested are in different watersheds — and some are uphill from the landfill on Middle Road and another town-owned dump on Green Road.
The components of ground water and some domestic water supplies depend on what is in the soils and bedrock through which the water flows, she said.
Even arsenic can be found naturally occurring in the bedrock, Champeon said. But the report cautioned that arsenic also is a component of the fly ash that was dumped in both locations.
Champeon's report notes that five of the wells along a small brook bear watching, as "contaminant plumes" from the Middle Road dump might threaten them in the future.
Some wells now contain components that exceed drinking-water standards, but there is no evidence the components are related to the two landfills, she said.
Future reports on air testing and "modeling" of air patterns around the dump sites, along with toxicology tests, will be released when they are completed, she said.
Central Maine Disposal Corp., then of Fairfield, operated a dump for fly-ash and caustic-lime dregs off Middle Road from 1976 until about 1986. The dump was not covered until 1993.
Unapproved wastes, including petroleum products, 55-gallon drums and chemicals also were deposited there, according to DEP reports.
DEP visited the disposal company's landfill 16 times through 1985, with violations reported virtually every time, the Cole report says.
Violations included illegal dumping of wastes on site, wastes deposited in unlicensed areas and unrestricted site access. Residents say the dump burned openly for three years.
In one report, according to Champeon's study, DEP found chemical drums containing Rodine, or commercial rat poison. Champeon's report notes that Rodine, know also as "red squill," is not likely to harm humans, but there is little or no documentation concerning other drums found in the dump bearing labels from chemical and petroleum companies.
Champeon said that when it comes to arsenic in some of the water wells, her recommendation would be for Kimberly-Clark and others who are funding continued monitoring of old and new wells below the Middle Road dump to spend their money in another way.
"I think the arsenic in most cases is natural," she said. "I think it would be better fixing it, rather than monitoring quarterly. It would be cheaper."
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