The College of Wooster Open Works The oV ice: 1991-2000 "The oV ice" Student Newspaper Collection 9-25-1992 The oW oster Voice (Wooster, OH), 1992-09-25 Wooster Voice Editors Follow this and additional works at: https://openworks.wooster.edu/voice1991-2000 Recommended Citation Editors, Wooster Voice, "The oosW ter Voice (Wooster, OH), 1992-09-25" (1992). The Voice: 1991-2000. 45. https://openworks.wooster.edu/voice1991-2000/45 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the "The oV ice" Student Newspaper Collection at Open Works, a service of The oC llege of Wooster Libraries. It has been accepted for inclusion in The oV ice: 1991-2000 by an authorized administrator of Open Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. j pi .news Ijny? f to u j Sociology professor An interview with Cleveland band First gets .0 Football chomped j exposes shortcomings students Mike HoJden Light sets Party on 1 the by Allegheny Gators E j of class structure in and Eugene DePasquale Green to music Satur- - ... page 13 j Forum speech on the Greek system day night Volleyball lost in dark 2 10 CO ...page ...page 5 ...page ...page 15 go Mooidpal wells coetamMated College water threatened ASHLEY VAUGHT was measured in concentrations of : Staff Writer up to 95 parts per billion (ppb). The r .- - The adage Think Globally, Act levels of the TCE in ground water Locally" now represents more than existed at levels up to 12,000 ppb hot air for Wooster's residents, who and the 1,1-dkhorethl- ene existed at are faced with the potential threat of concentrations of 7 ppb. Theground TP contamination in yet another well water tested is not used as a source of The deterioration of the quality of drinking water. ' VI' the water supply is not a new plight "Any amount of TCE is unusual, for the natives of Wooster. Since but when you compare that to the 1983, the SI well, part of the south allowable level of5 ppb in drinking 3 - well field of Wooster, has been water, I would say that is a signifi- 'jp ! known tobe contaminated with chlo- cant level," said Berger. The S 1 well rinated solvents. InJuly of thatyear, is no longer used for drinking water the Ohio Environmental Protection and the city has installed treatment i LI If Agency notified the City ofWooster equipment that these solvents had been discov- -' Not to dismiss the possibilites of ered. longterm exposure,' Berger added The contamination of the City of that although "limited short term ISC charter Wooster's water wells may have con- exposure is insignificant," risk as- sequences for The College of sessments are calculated for 70 years, gains approval Wooster. Clinton Hofs tetter, direc- and under those timelines, long term ft i 1r "it JUDY NICHOLS tor of the physical plant for the Col- effects ofeven small amounts ofthe News Editor lege, confirmed that the College chemicals are dangerous. TCE is a carcinogen forwhich mere After three weeks ofdebate, Cam water is supplied by thecity. "All of suspected is scientific evidence, Berger i pus Council finally approved inter-- the water supplied to the college current said, and is toxic by inhalation. W Section Council's revised charter comes from the City of Wooster," it the well-attend- stated. When asked he Since the initial discovery, during Wednesday's ed Hofstetter if concentrations of contaminants in meeting. The final vote on the issue was aware of the contamination, the wells lessened due to the 8-- Hofstetter said he was, but stated have was 0, wiih three Campus Council implementation of the interceptor members abstaining from the vote. that the tainted water wasn't being weuVand air stripper towers, two Solid approval for ISCs charter used. The water is not used for treatment devices used to pump mounted when Wednesday's meet- drinking anywhere in the City of water the contaminated water and then treat ing finally provided answers to many Wooster. contamination is a result of it, decreasing the levels of the con- ofCampus Council's questions about The taminants. Bob Houston, manager ISC These questions, which had chlorinated solvents detected in the According to an Ohio EPA for the Water Production Division photo by ASHLEY VAUGHT been voiced in earlier Cam pus Coun- supply. 1987 study done by against the insidious cil meetings, dealt with the possibil- report, "A July An air stripper tower is Wooster's first defense consultants hired by Department, said that at one on the city's water supply. ity of sections' and clubs' selection environmental chlorinated solvents that are wreaking havoc de- time the concentration in the S 1 well ory Manufacturing. Inc. non-discriminat- Wooster process violating the assessment and site inspection to the presence of chlorinated was between 3 XX) and 1300 ppb. so that the interceptor wells would clause of the College. Also tected con- since then has decreased to the intercept the southflowing contami- investigate and document site approval solvents in the ground waterand soil but questioned was the risk that the S 1 and ditions. From there the EPA con- on the company's property. Four 140 ppb. The concentrations ofcon- nants before they reached of the ISC charter would legitimize ducts a remedial investigation (RT) well samples in this study showed taminants vary in a well field de- S2 wells. fraternities and sororities on cam- superintendent and a feasibility study (FS). The RI the presence of chlorinated solvents pending upon the water plume, or Mike Gerig, utility pus. City Wooster, said that identifies the types ofcontaminants formerly used at the plant Contami- flow. The S2 well, part of the south for the of Several representatives ofISC and near the site, assesses well field, has no trace elements presently the SI well has trace present at or Council nation also was detected in soil ofsections assured Campus 1,1-dichloroeth- lene (6--0 the degree of contamination, and borings." whatsoever in the samples, and is amounts of members that the selection process When characterizes potential risks to the trichlo-roethyle- ne source drinking water. ppb) and no trace of TCE. The two chem icals found, used as a of " of clubs and sections did not violate contamina- community and environment. The (TCE) and 1,1-dichloreth- ene, The contaminants involved in the asked if he believed the non-discriminat- ion clauses. Sopho- longterm ef- FS evaluates several alternative rem- are not natural sub- south well field seemed to be ema- tion of the well posed more Jamie Bowman explained that well fects, Gerig replied, "All of these edies for prblems at the site. The stances. Rob Berger, public infor- nating from a point north of the selection is based upon the interest a lab, and I don't EPA attempts to find a PRP (poten- officer for the Ohio EPA field (1 mile north is the property tests are done at person shows in a section or mation tially responsible party) to conduct that a Center, said that owned by Wooster Manufacturing). have the information to answer." is therefore Public Information club, and that selection City of Wooster placed inter- When addressing these problems, Tmding any amount ofthe subtances The see contamination on page 2 the north ofthe wells, the Ohio EPA goes through an initial see ISC on page 4 is unusuaL" In the soil borings, TCE ceptor wells to s i. , Page2 I' T T7"f F Septembei-25- 1992 contamination from front page Water supply unclean Hurst reveals failings of class structure NINALANY the RI and FS, or the EPA will con- Mohr, the EPA site coordinator for Staff Writer duct the RVFS.and recover any costs the north well field. --Economic differences are impor- later associated withuhe investiga- In addition to the chemicals that tant for everyday living," declared tion through legal action. The were discovered in the south well Professor of Sociology Charles E. cleanup does not begin until the FS field, another agent, vinyl chloride, Hurst in his forum speech Monday, is completed and a public comment a broken down product ofTCE, was Sept 22, entitled "Class inaClassless period is held. The whole process discovered. Society." can take more than four years to Both Gerig and Houston are Hurst began with a list of figures complete, but if there is an immedi- pleased with the progress made in designed 10 illustrate the fact that there ate threat to public health, the EPA the north well fields, but think the are different classes and that there are can intervene with emergency re- action in the south well field is pro- growing inequalities between them. sponse action. gressing too slowly. Gerig believes The richest one percent of the The current threat to Wooster is that the EPA is either not pressuring population receives as much income not the SI or S2 wells, but that the Wooster Manufacturing enough, or as the bottom 40 percent combined north well field is in danger of being Wooster Munfacturing is procrasti- There was a SO times greater increase V contaminated by the same chlori- nating. The EPA site coordinator for in- in upper class over middle class 1 nated solvents affecting the south the south well fields, Mike Bolas, comes The taxes on the poorest ten well field. Presently, the north wells answered these allegations by say- percent of the country increase the show no contamination, and the EPA ing that the EPA has only had an most," Hurst stated. and the currently identified PRP, the identified PRP since 1990. and com- Using many analogies.