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43 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, March 29, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 6, 2005 Few water effects from Summit chemical spill By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Herbicide spilled during an October truck wreck on Interstate 5’s Siskiyou Summit appears to be working its way through the water system and remains no threat to human health, authorities said. Tests taken in late January showed only traces of the chemical 2,4-D in two groundwater sources along Old Siskiyou Highway, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Those water sources, a spring and a well, were downhill from where about 500 gallons of the herbicide Weedar 64 spilled in the Oct. 23, wreck of an Oak Harbor Freight truck. The levels of 2,4-D — as well as its breakdown product, known as 2,4-dichlorophenol — were considered well within federal thresholds for safe drinking, showering, cooking and outdoor use, said Angie Obery, who is managing the cleanup for the DEQ. The highest detected level of 2,4-D in those tests was 12.6 parts per billion — far under the maximum contaminant level of 70 parts per billion as set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Obery said. Advertisement Also, the last two rounds of tests revealed no traces of 2,4-D or the breakdown product in the springs and wells closer to the crash site, Obery said. "It looks like it’s working its way downhill," Obery said. "We’re confident there are no health concerns." But residents like Mary Wallace said they will continue filtering their water until no contaminants are found in tests and any lingering smells or strange tastes dissipate. "We figure it’s safer than drinking or cooking with the bad water," said Wallace, whose well-water contains low levels of 2,4-D. "They say it’s not lethal, but it killed a few of my indoor plants." The agency plans to conduct another round of water tests this month, preferably after a rainstorm to see whether contaminant levels rise or fall with the infusion of fresh water, Obery said. The DEQ also will meet with area landowners and other interested people Monday in Ashland to discuss the test results and answer questions about the cleanup. The open house-style meeting will be from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Gresham Room of the Ashland Library, at the corner of Gresham Street and Siskiyou Boulevard in Ashland. Callahan’s Lodge owner Ron Bergquist said he will attend Monday’s meeting. Bergquist owns two 2-acre parcels downhill from the spill site, and those properties are for sale, he said. "We’ll probably won’t drill wells for another four to six months" to give the contaminants time to move through the water table, Bergquist said. "Other than that, I don’t see any reason to raise any undue concern," Bergquist said. The spill has not tainted Callahan’s water supply, which comes from a spring uphill from the crash site, Obery said. Also, the chemicals are no threat to the city of Ashland’s water supply, she said. On Oct. 23, the Oak Harbor Freight Lines truck swerved on I-5 to avoid a deer and overturned, spilling about 500 gallons of herbicide near milepost 6. The herbicide tainted dirt as well as nearby Carter Creek. While a private environmental firm was called in to clean up the tainted water and dirt, the DEQ immediately ordered groundwater tests for fewer than a dozen downhill water sources. The tests were ordered because 2,4-D can cause nervous system, kidney and liver problems in people exposed to high levels. About 45 days after the spill, some neighbors complained that their water began to smell and taste odd. Tests on some of those water supplies showed no traces of 2,4-D or the breakdown agent. "It’s still a concern for the residents up there," Obery said. "But that taste cannot be attributed to the breakdown product." Though the smell and taste concerns were deemed not associated with the spill, Oak Harbor’s insurance agent has reimbursed four landowners for water filters, said Larry Hansen, Oak Harbor’s safety manager based in Auburn, Wash. "The water samples don’t show a need for them," Hansen said. "We’re doing this to address (property owners’) concerns, and we don’t know if the filtration systems will do that." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Advertisement s