From Staff Reports

SKYLAND — As more wells near the former CTS plant in Skyland have been found to be contaminated with toxic chemicals, the plant’s former owners have agreed to look into cleaning up groundwater contamination at the site.

CTS Corp., which used to manufacture industrial switches at the plant, has until March 28 to submit an initial plan assessing cleanup activities to the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

In an unusual move, the agency will allow the public to comment on the plan before it is approved.
Officials announced the agreement at a meeting last Thursday night at the Skyland Fire Department, which was attended by more than 200 concerned residents.

The move comes as testing has shown that more wells near the former plant are contaminated with a highly toxic chemical that was used at the plant, though officials said it is unclear where the chemicals originated.

The newest round of testing found one well contaminated with the solvent trichloroethylene, TCE, and cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene, a chemical produced by the decomposition of TCE.

The resident whose well is contaminated was given bottled water, and a filtration system will be installed.
Another well nearby also tested positive for the chemicals, but fell below federal limits. Both wells are within three-quarters of a mile from the CTS plant, which made industrial switches.

However, the contamination may not have come from the site, according to David Dorian, on-scene coordinator for the Environmental Protection Agency.

Dorian said the topology and geology of the areas where the contamination was found suggest that the chemicals may have come from somewhere else, though he added that it is too early to draw any conclusions.

The N.C. Division of Environment and Natural Resources will continue sampling wells near the CTS site.

The current round of testing, which began at the end of last year, comes after testing in August found that levels of TCE in areas around the former plant had not declined significantly as a result of cleanup effots.

Contamination was first discovered in stream and soil samples near the plant in 1990, and in residential wells and springs near the site in 1999 and 2000.

TCE also was discovered in vapor samples from seven homes in the area. Though  concentrations in the vapor fell below the EPA’s action levels, the agency will conduct a follow-up study on some of the homes.

The contaminant also was found in surface water samples taken fruther away from the site near Robinson Creek.

In addition to the TCE and its byproducts, other contaminants were discovered during the testing.

Of the 66 wells that were tested in the area, five were found to be contaminated to some degree. Those wells contained traces of chloroform and chloromethane, both of which are commonly detected in wells that have been disinfected with chlorine bleach, according to the EPA.

One of the wells also was found to be contaminated with toluene, a solvent used in paint removers and paint thinners.

None of those wells exceeded federal guidelines, and the chemicals found were not used at the former CTS plant.