STATE ROAD #3, KM 110.2
The Maunabo Area Ground Water Contamination site consists of a ground water plume with no identified source(s) of contamination. It is located in the municipality of Maunabo, Puerto Rico, in the southeastern area of the island. The size of the plume of contamination has not been determined yet, but EPA is currently conducting work to better define the nature and extent of the contamination. The Maunabo public water system consists of four ground water wells: Maunabo 1, Maunabo 2 (Bordaleza), Maunabo 3 (Calzada), and Maunabo 4 (San Pedro). Maunabo 1 went into service in 2001, while the other wells were in service prior to that time. Ground water samples collected by the system’s operator, the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA), indicate that chlorinated solvents have been detected in Maunabo 1 since March 2002. At that time, the Puerto Rico Department of Health ordered PRASA to close the well because the concentration of one of the solvents exceeded the federal Safe Drinking Water Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL). However, PRASA opted to treat the ground water with carbon filtration tanks at the wellhead rather than close the well in order to meet water supply needs. Since then, the detections of solvents in raw ground water samples from Maunabo 1 have exceeded the MCL on numerous occasions. Samples taken after treatment, including tap water samples collected along the distribution system down-line from Maunabo 1, indicate that the treatment has not been effective. PRASA has installed new activated carbon filtration units to treat the water. PRASA is conducting a break-through study to determine the efficacy of the supplied activated carbon units.
3,464 |
People living within a 1 mile radius |
$20,599 |
Average Income |
1,232 |
Occupied homes |
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