Groundwater in the Great Lakes Basin

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APPENDIX F Threats to Groundwater Quality in the Great Lakes Basin — Hazardous Waste Sites CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 84 GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION 84 HUMAN HEALTH EFFECTS 85 SITE ASSESSMENT 85 THE NIAGARA RIVER AREA OF CONCERN 86 LEGISLATION 88 HAZARDOUS WASTE INJECTION WELLS 90 BASINWIDE REMEDIATION AND PREVENTION 90 REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY 91 GLOSSARY 93 83
INTRODUCTION 84 Hazardous wastes are generally defined as materials, including liquids, solids and gases, that are dangerous or potentially dangerous to environmental or human health. Hazardous wastes are identified as having one or more of the following properties: ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity or toxicity (U.S. EPA, 2006a). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has compiled a list containing more than 500 hazardous wastes (U.S. EPA, 2006c). According to the U.S. EPA (2006c) more than 40 million tons of hazardous wastes are produced in the U.S. every year. However, other sources indicate that this figure might be as high as six billion tons (Natural Resource Council on Environmental Epidemiology, 1991). Canada produces more than six million tons of hazardous waste per year (Environment Canada, 2003). Hazardous waste sites are deemed potentially dangerous if not properly maintained because they hold the potential to release irritant gases, metals, solvents, pesticides and many other harmful substances. These substances can easily migrate away from the site contaminating the surrounding air, soil and water (both above and below ground). Many examples of groundwater contamination resulting from hazardous waste dumps can be found in the literature, including many in the Great Lakes region, especially in the Niagara Falls area (Love Canal, Hyde Park, etc.) (Fletcher, 2002). Hazardous waste production began to increase in the 1940s along with industrial expansion and the chemical revolution (Government of Canada, 2002). During the 1940s and 1950s land disposal of hazardous waste in Figure 1. unlined landfills and lagoons was common industrial practice. In many cases, these practices continued into the 1980s. As a result there are currently more than 4,500 known hazardous waste sites in the Great Lakes Basin. Of the known sites, 98% are in the United States and 2% in Canada (Fletcher, 2003). Of the previously estimated total, only 6% are still open and accepting waste (Fletcher, 2003). Currently there is only one operating commercial hazardous waste landfill in Ontario, located near Sarnia (Fletcher, 2003). GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION The density distribution of hazardous waste sites varies considerably across the basin (Figure 1). Some of the highest densities are located in the Detroit, Michigan, and Niagara Falls, New York, areas where there is more than 1 site per 13 square kilometers (Fletcher, 2003). In contrast, in the adjoining Canadian areas, the densities are much lower with less than 1 site per 52 square kilometers in Lambton County, Ontario, and less than 1 site per 259 square kilometers in Niagara Falls, Ontario (Fletcher, 2003). Hazardous waste sites are a significant concern to water quality of the Great Lakes. Precipitation that has come in contact with hazardous waste percolates down through the earth, contaminating groundwater supplies that serve to recharge the lakes. Significant groundwater contamination has occurred at the FMC Density distribution of waste sites in the Great Lakes Basin Sources: IJC, 1993; U.S. EPA CERCLA Data, 1990; U.S. EPA RCRA Data, 1992; MOE Inventory Data, 1990 Corporation Dublin Road Site, an inactive waste site located in Orleans County of northwestern New York. From 1933 to 1968, debris, including laboratory wastes, pesticides and chemical residues, was disposed leading to water and soil contamination. Lead, mercury, arsenic and pesticides have been identified resulting in the construction of a groundwater extraction treatment system and an on-site water treatment facility. Over the next 20 to 30 years approximately 126 million gallons of groundwater will need to be treated (U.S. EPA, 2006d).
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AReportoftheGreatLakesScienceAdviso
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Citation: Great Lakes Science Advis
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Commissioners’ Preface The Great
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2 required to monitor basin groundw
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4 Systems have a 30-year lifespan d
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6 Groundwater quality is routinely
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8 Transmittal Letter Groundwater/An
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10 Acknowledgements, Activities and
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APPENDICES Appendices A through L p
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INTRODUCTION Groundwater, a major n
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16 DESCRIPTION OF NATURAL SYSTEMS M
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that are not substantially affected
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Estimates of the Level and Extent o
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APPENDIX B Threats to Groundwater Q
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24 PATHOGENS Bacteria, viruses and
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Viruses Viral pathogens continue to
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SPECIFIC EPISODES Walkerton In 2000
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30 season. The sampling sites inclu
Page 39 and 40: 32 Curriero, F.C., Patz, J.A., Rose
Page 41 and 42: Infection of a suitable host specie
Page 44 and 45: APPENDIX C Threats to Groundwater Q
Page 46 and 47: Road salt has significant toxic eff
Page 48 and 49: converted to nitrite in the human s
Page 50 and 51: Atrazine Atrazine is an extensively
Page 52 and 53: Wisconsin DNR keeps track of about
Page 54 and 55: Table 1. Chemical Contaminants in G
Page 56 and 57: isks for 23 diseases in six contigu
Page 58 and 59: Figure 1. Number* of waterborne-dis
Page 60 and 61: Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Wa
Page 62 and 63: APPENDIX D Threats to Groundwater Q
Page 64 and 65: Figure 1. Source: General Descripti
Page 66 and 67: (Gorman and Halvorsen, 2006). Any s
Page 68 and 69: Table 3. Washtenaw County, Michigan
Page 70 and 71: that the OWTS would last until it w
Page 72 and 73: REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY Aglie,
Page 74: Septic Tanks - Septic Tank Articles
Page 77 and 78: INTRODUCTION Leaking underground st
Page 79 and 80: sites that were previously closed,
Page 81 and 82: Table 1. USTs in Great Lakes States
Page 83 and 84: Estimation of Costs for Remediation
Page 85 and 86: Table 6. Operational Compliance of
Page 87 and 88: 80 Indiana Government. (2007, Febru
Page 89: 82 GLOSSARY AST - above ground stor
Page 93 and 94: The town of Kincardine, Ontario, ha
Page 95 and 96: 88 • The monitoring and surveilla
Page 97 and 98: However, the U.S. EPA has been relu
Page 99 and 100: 92 Johnson, B.L. & DeRosa, C.T. (19
Page 101 and 102: PAHs - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocar
Page 103 and 104: INTRODUCTION An abandoned well is d
Page 105 and 106: Figure 6: Leaking oil well Source:
Page 107 and 108: CONTAMINANT SOURCES 100 During any
Page 109 and 110: Nearly 16 million operational water
Page 111 and 112: • Development of a targeted progr
Page 113 and 114: 106 Michigan Department of Environm
Page 115 and 116: APPENDIX H Threats to Groundwater Q
Page 117 and 118: far reaching. Road salt can inhibit
Page 119 and 120: 112 Desalinization Potential water
Page 121 and 122: Gray, J. (2004, January). Brine Spr
Page 123 and 124: INTRODUCTION 116 In 2003 there were
Page 125 and 126: 118 feed has increased to upwards o
Page 127 and 128: References and Bibliography 120 Arn
Page 129 and 130: APPENDIX J Threats to Groundwater Q
Page 131 and 132: for recreational purposes and destr
Page 133 and 134: 126 errors (human or mechanical), p
Page 135 and 136: Apparent Losses Old meters are like
Page 137 and 138: Figure 6. Examples of Windsor, Onta
Page 139 and 140: REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY 132 Ada
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134 Levy, S. (2004, November 16). T
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APPENDIX K The Châteauguay Transbo
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138 the clay sediments of the St. L
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REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY Bureau
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INTRODUCTION 142 Groundwater law ac
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144 • Water withdrawn be returned
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146 found to be failing. Now, with
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Part 373: Third Stage Treatment Lag
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150 Chapter 1501:15 Soil and Water
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152 Title 29 - Water Resources Mana
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APPENDIX M List of Acronyms ADHD -
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Groundwater in the Great Lakes Basin

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