GEORGETOWN, DE - A public meeting was held in Georgetown tonight discussing on-going EPA testing and treatment for chemically contaminated land in town. The testing is part of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SuperFund project, which is a federal response to treating contaminated land.
The meeting discussed the equipment being used to test the water, the history of the contamination, and the potential treatment plans.
The northern region of Georgetown, shown in the above map, was determined in 2020 to require long-term cleanup. It contains both residential homes and commercial buildings.
The groundwater underneath it was identified as containing hazardous substances from industrial-use chemicals. The EPA presumes the chemicals originated from two laundromats that were once located in the area, where there were potentially mishandling of materials.
The EPA tells WBOC Georgetown drinking and bathing water is safe – as a plant in the region contains an air stipper to treat the water up to federal standards. But work will continue to make sure the town stays healthy.
Neighbor Sadie Lopez grew up in Georgetown, and now raises his daughter here – playing with her at a park just a block away from the testing work, he says he remembers the laundromat well, and is happy something is being done.
“I’m not surprised with it being that old and being there for so many years, for me with my kids growing up here I don’t like to hear about that, so they really do need to check on it.”
Neighbor Eric Amoro says he wish he knew more about it.
“What we need to do is be more mindful and notify people, we don’t want things going as bad as they did in detroit. It's a minor issue, just a couple block radius, but people should be aware.”
More information can be found at:
https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/CurSites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0304167
https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/waste-hazardous/remediation/georgetown-north/
https://www.georgetowndel.com/water/Georgetown-North-Groundwater-Site-Information.htm