This is an example of what contaminated soil can look like. This is what was lying beneath the demolished building.
The EPA has proposed a plan to demolish a building whose soil threatens to contaminate the groundwater below it and could affect the families that live around the building. The soil and sediment are contaminated by "volatile organic compounds", chemicals that were produced by the large building's laundry. The EPA will demolish the building and excavate the soil that is contaminated. The soil will be shipped off the be treated and the groundwater that may be affected will also be treated. Additionally, the surrounding wetlands will be surveyed and anywhere that may possibly have any form of contaminant will be taken care of.
I know I'm glad to hear that the EPA is taking such a huge step as to work so hard to treat this water. I know if I lived in this contaminated place, I would be very excited! I think it's also nice to hear that the EPA is taking a step in the right direction since I feel like we always hear about the EPA making a mistake or doing something stupid that goes against what they stand for.
Questions:
1.) Do you think that the EPA was right to knock down this building? Why or why not?
2.) How would you react if you were one of the people living around this contaminated groundwater/soil?
3.) Would you have handled this situation differently?
I think it is very good what the EPA is doing here. The families deserve it, because no one deserves to live with that in their water believe me. Even if the place that is being knocked down is an active building I think that it still deserves to be demolished because of what it is doing. I'm sure that this is happening all over the country and unfortunatly many of these instances are probably not being resolved.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2: I would be extremely angry and call the EPA and ask them to do exactly what they are doing here in this situation. That is all that I would want and I would be very angry if the EPA did not step in and solve the problem.
I like what they are doing here. I realizer that this is something that should be done, I really have t wonder why the EPA is worrying about one single building when there are a lot of even more important things that they just don't seem to care about seriously enough to ever do anything about them. I'm talking about things like hydraulic fracking and the bottled water industry. It looks like there are some big problems with our Environmental Protection Agency. Like I said though, it is no ice to hear about them doing something. Sammy is right, it seems like we always hear about them doing something wrong, or not doing anything at all, but I think we have a biased view. The EPA does plenty of good for the environment. The thing is though that the bad stuff always gets more publicity. I'm sure this is just one of the good things the EPA has done. Here's a link to an article about the EPA making plans to regulate tracking waste water disposal that happened in Allentown PA.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/20/epa-regulation-frack-wastewater_n_1022469.html
It was the right thing for EPA to tear down the building that was emitting toxins. Sometimes the EPA allows itself to be swayed, but it is good that they are standing up for the environment. The people who live nearby are probaby very glad that they will not have to worry about possible contamination. I know I would be.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1
Yes, I think they did the right thing. It is aways right if it can help people not get sick and if it helps the environment.
Question 2
If I lived nearby, I would be very angry that the building was releasing toxins into my water, but I would be very relieved when I heard that it was torn down. I probably would have wrote a letter to my township or the offending building or the EPA.