SOMETHING SMELLS FISHY INDEED. AND ITS TOXIC VAPORS.

An Article worth a read:
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/253063501.html

“The discovery that toxic vapor can rise from contaminated groundwater has undercut decades of pollution cleanup efforts in Minnesota, prompting state regulators to revisit 293 cleanup sites to determine if contaminants that once seemed contained underground are producing health hazards today.”

Paragraph six:

“Others include the Duluth Air Force Base and the Tonka Corp. Toy manufacturing site in Mound — where a primary issue had been preventing contamination of nearby Harrison Bay on Lake Minnetonka. The review of these sites has been ongoing since 2008, when the state issued its first guidance for dealing with soil vapor.”

Keep reading:

“The common thread at these sites is the use of solvents or other compounds known as “volatile organic chemicals” such as TCE and perchloroethylene, or PCE.

Research has linked these compounds to higher rates of cancer, birth defects and other disorders when people are exposed to high levels of them over long periods.

These chemicals tend to sink into the groundwater and sometimes collect in dense globs that contaminate the water unless removed. For years, the primary environmental concern has been whether the chemicals were contaminating drinking water supplies. If not, the strategy often was to contain the chemical plumes below the ground and slowly remove the chemicals by pumping and airing out the groundwater.”

No, I am not a water expert. I am just a mom and a Minnetrista resident but I'd say this kind of state information calls for a lot of thought for any community considering a drinking water project. We should be THANKING our current council for considering a gathering the numbers for us on a water treatment plant, like reverse osmosis, that is designed to remove these future contaminants!!