Source: http://news10.com, January 18, 2017
By: Noel McLaren
Ricketts Dry Cleaning has been shut down for about three years, but the EPA says its chemicals are still here and may have seeped into the ground water.
“I mean it affects your whole quality of life, your everything, your property value, your health,” said Beverly Thompson.
Beverly and George Thompson have lived in the same house in Ballston Spa for almost 40 years, but they just found out their home could be contaminated with multiple kinds of chemicals leaking from a nearby abandoned dry cleaners.
“I guess my main question would be, these chemicals that have been leached into the soil vapors, what the health ramifications of these? Are they short term? Are they long term and basically what’s going to be done about this?” Beverly said.
According to the EPA, tests completed on the Rickett Route 50 site in August found unsafe levels of chloroform, TCE, PERC, vinyl chloride, benzene and naphthalene: Chemicals that are possible carcinogens. Now, the EPA says they need to test for vapor intrusion in about 50 nearby homes and businesses to see how far reaching the problem has become.
“We have no idea, that’s why we are collecting samples next month,” EPA Inspector, Don Graham, said.
The concern is that the chemicals got into the ground water. Homes in the area get their water from the village, not from wells, but as shown in a diagram, chemical vapors could be seeping into foundations.
“[I] look forward to the testing and hopefully our testing will come out negative, but looking forward to remediation as soon as possible,” Beverly said.
Representatives for the EPA said over the phone that they plan to come out here and test individual homes and businesses in February.
The mayor of the Village of Ballston Spa also released a letter about the contamination. To read the letter and for more information about what the village plans to do about the concern, visit here.