What to Know
- The EPA has added a neighborhood near a former arsenic mine in Putnam County to the Superfund National Priorities List
- The contamination first came to their attention in 1987 when two Kent residents were hospitalized with arsenic poisoning from well water
- The agency says it didn't propose a soil cleanup then because it was asked only to investigate and protect drinking water
The Environmental Protection Agency has added a neighborhood near a former arsenic mine in Putnam County to the Superfund National Priorities List.
The site in the town of Kent was proposed to be added to the priority cleanup list last spring after elevated arsenic levels were found in soil near 10 homes. The site is downhill from a 19th-century arsenic mine.
EPA has removed contaminated soil on some properties and covered soil in some areas with wood chips or stone to prevent contact. Residents with elevated arsenic levels in their drinking water wells are using treatment systems or bottled water.
EPA has initiated a feasibility study to identify options to address residents' exposure in the long term. The study is expected to be completed in 2020.
