MEADVILLE – The Department of Environmental Protection has set up a document repository at a local borough office and a specific home page for residents seeking up-to-date information on DEP’s investigation of groundwater and soil contamination in a Punxsutawney neighborhood.
“Our goal is to ensure that current information is available right at residents’ fingertips, whenever they want it,” DEP Northwest Regional Director Kelly Burch said. “Giving neighbors convenient access to DEP’s investigation provides a fuller picture of all that’s being done to address their concerns and the contamination caused by historical industrial activities.”
The Punxsutawney Borough Office at 301 E. Mahoning St. in Punxsutawney, Jefferson County, is housing the document repository. Residents should contact Borough Manager Ben White at 814-938-4480 to arrange an appointment for a file review.
New information on DEP’s Web site includes a brief overview of the site and steps the department is taking to assess the extent of contamination. Browsers should click on “Northwest” along the left side of the page, then “Community Involvement” and “Punxsutawney Contamination Site.”
DEP currently is evaluating a neighborhood bounded by Sawmill Run Creek to the west and Mahoning Creek to the south. The northern and eastern boundaries are unknown.
The area is largely residential, although some businesses operate in the neighborhood. Two electroplating companies previously operated within the area, and the specific combination of hazardous substances implicates electroplating waste as a probable source of contamination.
Investigators have learned that soil and groundwater have been contaminated with trichloroethene, cyanide and various metals, including mercury, nickel, lead, chromium, copper and aluminum.
The DEP investigation is being financed by the Hazardous Site Cleanup Act, which enables DEP to address contaminated sites while pursuing responsible parties to reimburse any or all of the costs. HSCA is the state’s most important tool to eliminate any threat to public health and safety when toxic chemicals or hazardous substances are found in the environment.