A leading New England environmental group says Pike Industries of Westbrook will(Update: The PPH has more on this story.)
be violating state regulations should it go ahead with plans to expand its
blasting operations in the Five Star Industrial Park. Toxics Actions Center has
joined up with a group of Westbrook residents to voice their concern as part of
an ongoing struggle between Pike and certain local businesses and residents who
oppose the gravel company's excavation practices.
- John C.L. Morgan
Related: Pike Rezoning Committee Meets with Residents (February 25, 2010)
6 comments:
Many people have expressed concern that the recently drilled geo-thermal wells that service the new Middle School may be effected by the TCE underground contamination plume with continued blasting.
This is a scenario to scary to contemplate.
We should not allow our schoolchildren to be placed at risk nor should we risk the City's investment in the new building.
yankee farmer, looks like you are out of the ice cream business as well then or will you still continue to sell ice cream that must be tainted by tce as we all know that you use well water at the farm. If the TCE can make it to the middle school it must be in your farms water as well. I would think you can now sue Pike for damages...but wait...this is old information isn't it? This site has been a know site for well over a decade and has been public knowledge. That means you have been selling tainted ice cream knowingly....so now anyone who has eaten your ice cream can now sue you! Funny how that works smart guy.......
What is also shocking is that Pike has known of the contamination since February of 2008 (Maine Public Radio) and has hid this information from the City, the residents and the local businesses.
Why? Is it just the money? Can those rocks be worth our health? Our lives?
Is that how little they think of us?
I have read requests that people boycott our products and our farm. And there are online lies about our orgainic practices. Why? I am only the messenger. Attacking me will not make the contamination go away.
Here's a overview of what the nearby residents have learned about this site over the past 2 weeks:
1. The property at 2 Eisenhower Drive located immediately adjacent to Pike’s Spring Street hard rock pit is contaminated with trichlorethene (TCE).
2. The Maine DEP has been monitoring this site for 10 years.
3. The DEP does not know how far this spill has spread but have confirmed it has reached the aquifer.
4. There are many monitoring wells installed around the contaminated site with some clearly visible on Pike’s property.
5. At least one off-site drinking water well has already been shut down because of the threat of TCE.
6. The DEP has put restrictions on disturbing this property to keep this pollutant TCE from spreading further.
7. Pike has said they discussed this toxic situation with the DEP in February 2008.
8. Pike never warned the city that a significant TCE problem exits with their proposed quarry expansion.
9. The Maine DEP agrees with residents who have expressed grave concerns about how Pike’s aggressive expansion plans might spread toxic TCE, and that new permits must be obtained before they can expand.
The residents are very pleased to find that the DEP disagrees with Pike's longstanding position that they have the right to do whatever they want on Spring Street without any additional approvals from any regulatory body. There's been way too much back room dealing regarding this site in the past and we commend the DEP for taking this progressive position to protect public health and the environment.
Here are some details the nearby residents learned this week about the TCE monitoring and remediation progam being implemented at 2 Eisenhower Drive:
1. The DEP Certificate requires the operation and maintenance of the Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE) System and the Low-Profile Air Stripper System (LPAS) as part of the remediation and monitoring program until such time that the DEP determines the remediation is complete.
2. The DEP has put restrictions on disturbing this property and has prohibited any excavation, including digging, grading, drilling or other disturbance of the ground on or beneath the property without prior written permission from the DEP.
The excavation and processing of rock by Pike within the adjacent property clearly threatens to disturb the ground beneath this property and the residents are pleased that the DEP has publicly stated that no hard rock extraction activities can legally commence without additional permits from the State of Maine.
WOW... looking at all these comments about Idexx, and Pike, etc. Very sad. I hope that nobody comes to your place of employment one day and asks you to leave and says, we don't like what you're doing so see ya later! Don't you folks have better things to do with your free time than sit on these sites all day? Seriously... ISIW, you're all over the place... Scary!!!
Post a Comment