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EPA, public discuss Ciba
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Published in the Asbury Park Press
By PATRICIA A. MILLER
TOMS RIVER BUREAU
TOMS RIVER -- Bioremediation, a process that uses bacteria to break down pollutants, is no cure-all, but it has been shown to substantially reduce contaminants and could be used at the Ciba-Geigy Superfund site, a Rutgers University microbiologist said last night.
"It's no silver bullet," said Jerome J. Kukor, a microbiologist at Rutgers University's Department of Environmental Science. "It's not a panacea. It is not going to solve all of the problems all of the time."
Kukor was at the Dover Township municipal building last night, along with federal Environmental Protection Agency officials, in one of a series of public hearings to discuss ways to clean up the Ciba site.
EPA officials are wrestling with how to clean up 35,000 drums of buried chemical waste and more than a dozen "source" sites of contamination.
"We have not made any decision," William J. Muszynski, deputy regional administrator for the EPA's Region 2, told the audience. "We have not yet determined any treatment technologies."
Bioremediation is a natural process that uses bacteria, fungi and yeast to feed on contaminants. The technique can be used to treat contaminants on site or after they have been removed, he said.
"It is widely used in many field situations," Kukor said. ""I would venture to say it is a widely accepted technique today. You are taking advantage of naturally occurring bacteria."
Ciba has conducted several pilot bioremediation programs on site, with favorable results, said David Williams, technical director at the Toms River site.
Even with bioremediation, the contaminant levels might not meet federal EPA standards for maximum allowable levels, Williams said.
"That's one of the issues with bioremediation," he said.
"One of the limits we all have to acknowledge is that we might not be able to get to target levels," Kukor said.
Berkeley resident Anne Wolff asked Ramona Pezzella, the EPA's remedial project manager, how long it will take to clean up the Ciba site.
"Are we talking 25 ... 50 years?" Wolff asked.
Even if all the source areas of contamination were removed, it will still take between 30 to 40 years to purge the plume of groundwater contamination at the site, said Pezzella.
"Sorry I asked," Wolff replied.
Peter L. Hibbard, a member of the Ocean County Citizens for Clean Water, asked if a tracer chemical could be on the Ciba site to determine if the plume is moving toward a groundwater source.
"I think that would be something that would set the public's mind at ease," Hibbard said.
Studies have indicated that the plume is not entering or moving toward groundwater sources, but Pezzella said EPA officials would discuss Hibbard's request.
The EPA will hold a hearing on May 25 to discuss other treatment options, Muszynski said. The location has not yet been determined.
Source: Asbury Park Press
Published: April 30, 1999
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