LEWIS RUN – Through persistence, Lewis Run Borough officials
seem to have bargained with – and just may receive what they are
looking for – from the Department of Environmental Protection.
DEP Secretary Kathleen McGinty was at the borough office Friday
morning to find out borough official’s concerns regarding the loss
of use of three supplemental water wells in the borough and to
discuss what the DEP could do to help them.
The result looks to be in favor of the borough.
“We propose to look into the source of Benzene in (wells) one
and two and (well) number 3’s future could be (looked into),” said
McGinty, after hearing what borough officials would like to see
happen through their attorney, Matt Wolford from Erie, and from
other DEP officials close to the situation. “And possibly see what
we can do about your debt on well number 3 – we can certainly look
into that.”
But according to Kelly Burch, Northwest Regional Director of the
Department of Environmental Protection, well 4, the well the DEP
drilled to supplement the borough’s water supply – which is a
spring – can’t be completed for use in the borough.
“Well number 4 was a bad decision. We will not put any more
money into that,” said Burch.
In the recent past, the borough has lost use of three of their
backup wells that helped supply their residents with drinking water
over the years. Well number three was the first well to be taken
out of service when it was discovered that drilling from it could
bring up contaminates and pollute the water. This was in the
1990s.
The borough had drilled the well for themselves with funds from
a PennVEST loan.
Since that well has been taken out of commission, wells one and
two were found to be contaminated with benzene, a carcinogen and a
component of gasoline. At this time, they are no longer in use by
the borough.
Meanwhile, the DEP, when they asked the borough to discontinue
use of well 3, took the time to search for a proper site and
eventually started drilling a new well for the borough – well 4.
Eventually the progress of that well was halted.
Reasons for the discontinuation of well 4 had previously been
believed to be a right of way issue and a lack of additional
funding. During Friday’s meeting, it was discovered that the DEP
didn’t want to pursue its completion because it would not be a good
source of drinking water for the residents.
“We do not believe the water in the well is of good quality to
drink,” said McGinty. “We can’t proceed in the well 4
direction.”
Concerns of the borough, as stated by Wolford, included to stop
use of well 3, but not abandon it altogether, as they wanted to be
able to test it when possible; to get compensated for the money
they have spent to drill that well; to find out who the responsible
party is for the contamination of wells 1 and 2; to stop the DEP
from saying the borough is responsible for contaminating the water
supply; and to complete well 4 since the DEP said they would
provide the borough with a new well.
Burch said the reason for the contamination of wells 1 and 2
were because of improperly sealed or capped old wells.
Both Frank Langianese, borough chairman, and Joe Cucuzza,
borough employee, disagreed with Burch’s statement, adding that
there was never any problem with those wells until new drilling was
started in the vicinity of the wells.
McGinty asked Burch if that was investigated and he said they
would check into it again.
Upon hearing that well 4 was not an option, Wolford said he
didn’t realize before that the well was not completed because of
reasons of unfit drinking water, and agreed not to pursue the
matter.
As for finding the funds to repay the borough for the PennVEST
loan they took out to drill well 3 and the penalties they have been
paying, McGinty said they would look into it.
“We will roll up our sleeves to try to find the dollars and
(possibly) find some way to relieve the financial burden,” said
McGinty.
State Sen. Joe Scarnati, R-Brockway, and State Rep. Martin
Causer, R-Turtlepoint, were instrumental in bringing McGinty to
Lewis Run while she was in the area on other business.
“We thought it is important for you to hear from the people in
the borough – it is very important. I am thankful you took the time
to come up,” Causer said Friday.
Scarnati told the secretary he believed she was fair and thought
she should come up and see what the issue was all about, rather
than continue with the back and forth discussions that had been
going on previously.
“This is not about ego, but about pride,” said Scarnati.
This statement refers to the fact that through all of the
discussions and arguments that have ensued since the discovery of
the potential for contamination, in the end, the borough was forced
to interconnect with Bradford City water to supplement their
spring.
This is something the borough has been against all along. The
interconnect put an added cost on their residents, not to mention
they have always had the desire to supply their residents with
drinking water on their own.
