GLENBURN TWP. - An online database designed to track information and issues related to the Precision National Plating site is in the works.
The Environmental Protection Agency is in the late stages of developing a website that will provide residents with up-to-date information regarding the levels of hexavalent chromium in public wells, solicitor Malcolm MacGregor said at Monday's meeting.
Glenburn is home to the former Precision National Plating Co., which has been linked to hexavalent chromium contamination. The company used the chemical compound in chrome plating operations since the 1950s, and the compound likely reached the aquifer through spills or drains in the plant that discharged onto the ground for decades. "Residents have had trouble finding the levels of hexavalent chromium because the information wasn't updated," Supervisor Bill Wicks said. "With this website, all of the information will be in one place and will be constantly updated."
Similar to Google Maps, the website will allow viewers to zoom in on specific wells in the area. Then, depending on the color of the well, the viewer will be able to decipher whether it's contaminated, Mr. MacGregor said.
"It's extremely impressive," said Mr. MacGregor, who watched members of the EPA present a demo version of the website. "Now residents will be able to identify whether wells near their property are contaminated."
The website also will provide links that detail whether the levels of hexavalent chromium - a pollutant that can cause cancer, respiratory problems, and liver and kidney damage - have fluctuated over the past few months, Mr. MacGregor said. In May 2007, some testing wells near Ackerly Creek registered contaminant levels of 28.5 parts per billion. The federal maximum for hexavalent chromium is 11 parts per billion, according to EPA officials.
"This will give the residents a much better indication of what's going on," Mr. MacGregor said. "We're a visual society. This is what we need."
Contact the writer: miorfino@timesshamrock.com