Saskatoon.CTVNews.ca
Two homes in Saskatoon were damaged in a fire, resulting in approximately $750,000 in damages. According to fire investigators, the fire started between the two homes on the exterior; however, no cause has been determined.
No injuries were reported and the fire was brought under control. Damages to one property were reported to be $500,000 and $250,000 to the neighboring home.
LenConnect.com
Residents in Blissfield were notified by officials that their drinking water was safe for consumption after a previous boil water advisory was enacted. Samples from residential drinking water confirmed no microbial contamination.
The boil water advisory was enacted after a water main break occurred lowering the water pressure which can allow bacterial contamination to breach the water system. Officials stated that while bacteria are generally not harmful and are common throughout the environment anytime a water system loses pressure for a significant length of time, precautionary measures are recommended.
Chicago.SunTimes.com
According to an 800-page environmental report, soil samples at the Brighton Park Migrant Camp tested positive for metals and other chemicals. However, the mayor’s office stated that remediation has already begun at the site with the removal of mercury and active removal of a semi volatile compound.
The site will include a barrier of clean crushed stone that will be regularly inspected. The mayor’s office statement included “‘With the limited soil removal and placement and maintenance of the barrier, the site is safe for temporary residential use.’” Local residents who oppose the migrant base camp have been protesting the site, arguing for humane housing instead of “‘this quasi-prison concentration camp on toxic soil.’”
PopSci.com
At least 11 new kinds of PFAS “forever chemicals” are polluting the water around a North Carolina Chemours plant. The plant is known to manufacture toxic substances. Researcher Erin Baker stated that people were being exposed to more PFAS chemicals than regulators knew how to identify. Chemours was ordered by the state in 2019 to curb its PFAS pollution. Chemours and its predecessor DuPont are facing a class action PFAS lawsuit with more than 100,000 residents. In June, Chemours, DuPont and Corteva reached a $1.19 billion settlement with most US public water systems over PFAS contamination. Regulators can begin monitoring for the 11 new PFAS chemicals.
BangorDailyNews.com
A New Hampshire-based law firm filed a lawsuit on behalf of York Sewer District against 3M Company, E.I. DuPont de Nemours, Inc., and other manufacturers of PFAS. SL Environmental Law Group P.C. filed the case when testing of the district’s wastewater treatment plant revealed contamination. The wastewater treatment plant serves residential households in York, Maine. While there are no federally regulated guidelines for PFAS, Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection has the authority to order cleanup of PFAS from responsible parties.
HoustonChronicle.com
The Fifth Ward community in Houston, Texas has been concerned for years about remnants from a wood treatment operation. Union Pacific will start testing for toxin exposure on properties near the rail yard, which operated as a creosoting operation until the mid-1980s. Vapor intrusion testing spans 342 properties, including 110 homes, two elementary schools, and a park. The tests being conducted by Union Pacific will help determine if chemical cleanup of the residential area is necessary.
EcoHubMap.com
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed banning the cancer-causing chemical trichlorethylene. The chemical known as TCE is used in brake cleaners, furniture care, and arts and crafts sprays. A cluster of leukemia cases in Woburn, Massachussets were found to correlate with drinking water contaminated with TCE. Two locations in the city were designated as Superfund sites as a result. The EPA’s research suggests that 250 million pounds of TCE are produced in the United States each year. The American Chemistry Council stood against the proposal while environmental groups praised it. The EPA’s regulatory power over chemicals like TCE was given by the Frank Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act of 2016.
BrickUnderground.com
Attorney Sam Himmelstein was asked about the legal precedents for a tenant who had to break their lease and relocate for a new job. The landlord listed the apartment at a higher rent than what the tenant was paying. Himmelstein explains that the law requires landlords to rent the apartment at the lower of the fair market value and the rate agreed to during tenancy. In the tenant’s case, their landlord had violated the law by listing the apartment for more than what was agreed to during tenancy. Himmelstein says the tenant would defeat any lawsuit the landlord may bring for breaking the lease. The statute violated by the landlord is part of rent reforms under the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act passed in 2019.
TheGuardian.com
Property damage incident occurred on Bell Road in Erie County Pennsylvania when a 10-inch BP petroleum line ruptured, resulting in extensive contamination of the surrounding area. The incident has forced the road’s closure until remediation begins. Crews are tirelessly working to remove the 8,400 gallons of leaked gasoline from the soil, transferring supervision from the EPA to the Michigan Department of Environment. The contaminated soil will be sent to Heritage Thermal Treatment Services for safe disposal, while unaffected materials will be buried in a landfill. Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the pipeline break, while roadblocks and safety measures remain in place.
ChicagoTribune.com
The presence of lead contamination in school drinking water has become a pressing concern for parents and environmental groups across the United States. A recent report grades most states poorly for their inadequate response to the critical issue. The report reveals the following statistics: 27 states received an “F” grade, while only three managed a “B.” Advocacy groups are pushing for federal action, urging the EPA to lower the lead action level in school water to one part per billion. Recommendations include replacing lead service lines and installing filtered bottle re-filling stations. The EPA is working on strengthening regulations and is set to propose the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements soon, with a focus on proactive lead service line replacement and reducing complexity in regulations.
www.bizjournals.com
A recent report federal report reveals that the cleanup of radioactive waste sites in St. Louis County, including Coldwater Creek, will be far costlier than initially estimated. The U.S. Government Accoutability Office’s findings indicate a significant increase in financial liability, soaring from $177 million in 2016 to $406 million in 2022. This surge is primarily due to the discovery of additional contamination, necessitating an expansion of the cleanup efforts.
Military.com
Near Yokota Air Base, Japan a group of western Tokyo residents urge the Japanese government to test water at the home of U.S Forces Japan due to concerns of toxic firefighting foam. The residents’ group tested the blood of people living downstream of Yokota and found that more than half had high levels of PFAS in their blood.
In 2012 about 800 gallons of concentrated firefighting foam seeped into the ground from a storage tank at Yokota. The ministry states that “We will take appropriate measures by consulting with related local governments in regards to entering the base and conducting a survey.”
Sent-Trib.com
On Tuesday October 31, 2023 a wind-driven wildfire damaged or destroyed buildings in rural Southern California.. The fire was reported at about 12:45 p.m. Monday, and about 1,300 homes and 4,000 residents were put under evacuation orders. The fire was contained 10% by nighttime but still threatened about 2,400 homes and other buildings. According to the Riverside County Fire Department “Extremely steep and rugged terrain [was] a challenge.” The cause of the blaze is currently under investigation.
WLOS.com
An Asheville man named Chris Lewis claims he’s out thousands of dollars after a neighbors runoff ruined his home. Over the summer Lewis’ neighbor started a landscaping project that caused runoff to run down his driveway into his basement.
The city states that they had been out to the neighborhood eight times for routine inspections and multiple additional times in response to complaints. However, a copy of the permit for the project shows a date issued of July 25. Lewis says that's 10 days after his basement was significantly flooded.
SeattleTimes.com
According to a report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office the estimated cost to clean up 19 sites contaminated by nuclear waste has risen by nearly $1 billion. Officials say that inflation is partially to blame for the cost as well as uncertainties surrounding the cleanup. The report claims four sites have “complicated cleanup remedies or large amounts of contamination.” Two of these sites are in New York while the others are in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, and in the St. Louis Area. These sites are responsible for around three fouths of the cost increase.
MyTwintiers.com
Small fish from a creek in the Seneca Army Depot emptying into Seneca Lake are contaminated with the “forever chemical” PFAS at tens of thousands of times the state’s limit for drinking water. Findings indicate that Kendaia Creek could be contaminating Seneca Lake. State test of fish from Kendaia creek showed PFOS levels from 81,000 ppt to 374,000 ppt. The state Department of Health requires public water systems to implement expensive cleanup measures if it exceeds 10 ppt.
The EPA has requested that the Army conduct a survey of private drinking water wells within onr mile of the former depot boundary since the extent of the contamination is not defined. According to Bill Roege, president of the Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association, “We clearly know the (former Seneca Army) Depot had a lot of PFAS chemicals and PFOA in particular with the firefighting foam. Given how stable the chemicals are, we fully expect to find some level of PFAS in the lake.”
BigBendSentinel.com
A lawsuit was filed against Presidio County and Presidio Road and Bridge Supervisor after a retention pond built and owned by Presidio County burst and flooded a 10-acre property and the adobe home. The property owner’s lawsuit alleges that the county engaged in a pattern of “wrongful acts, omissions and/or negligence”.
The complaint identifies issues dating back to 2010 when a project to remove sediment from the retention pond was never completed and in 2013 when sediment was dumped into the retention pond instead of removed from the pond.
Furthermore, in 2018 allegedly Count Judge Cindrela Guevara instructed the Presidio Road and Bridge Supervisor to make repairs to the pond and to put up signs prohibiting dumping and vehicle entry into the pond or the dam, which was never completed.
TimesUnion.com
The Hurley Town Landfill in Ulster County, New York, was recently added to the state’s registry of Superfund sites. The Hurley Landfill was categorized as a Class 02 which presents a “significant threat to public health and/or the environment”. Placement of the Hurley Landfill on the state's Superfund registry will allow the town to access more than $1 million of state remediation funds.
The contaminants of concern at the Hurley Landfill are PFOS and PFOA contamination which was detected on-site groundwater monitoring wells, in a leachate collection tank, in surface water and sediment samples adjacent to the site, as well as in private drinking water wells downgradient of the site. Additional investigation is required to further determine the extent of contamination and the appropriate actions to mitigate potential exposures.
WashingtonPost.com
A listing for a 6-bedroom, 3.5 bathroom, 2,743 square foot property in San Jose has gone viral with the description, “[h]ome has an inactive Meth lab and meth contamination”. The listing states there is no access to the home until the property has been cleared by the Santa Calara County’s Health Department Guidelines and remediation responsibility will be passed on to the new buyer. With the disclosure of the meth lab and contamination, the property was listed for sale at $1,550,000 million.
LABusinessJournal.com
Tetra Techn, Inc is the recipient of a $800 million 5-year award provided by the U.S. Army Engineering Support Center, Huntsville to remove PFAS from fire suppression systems at installations around the United States. Tetra Tech, Inc. provides high-end consulting and engineering services and has a history of supporting the U.S. Department of Defense to safely address potentially harmful chemicals in bases and the surrounding environment.
The source of the PFAS is in the aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) which has been used for decades in fire suppression systems. Tetra Tech, Inc will look to evaluate it’s proprietary PFAScrub cleaning agent along with performance verification methods in order to remove residual PFAS from the interior of fire suppression systems.
Office: 33971 Selva Road, Suite 230, Dana Point, CA 92629
Phone: 949.497.7603 Fax: 949.497.7601
