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Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division
Facts About
Ground Water Contamination Associated
With
Schlage Lock Company
For your convenience, the following topics are covered on this page:
- The Problem
- Does this affect me?
- What are the health effects of Perchloroethylene
(PCE)?
- What is Perchloroethylene?
- What is Schlage Lock Company doing about the problem?
- What is the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's
role in the clean up?
- Who can I contact for more information?
The Problem
-
Perchloroethylene has been found in the ground water, or water moving
beneath the ground surface, of the Widefield Aquifer. (See
Off-site PCE Ground Water Concentrations)
-
Perchloroethylene was used by the facility from 1977 to 1992.
-
Releases of this chemical from three source areas on Schlage Lock
Company property to the ground resulted in it moving down through
the soils and rock to the ground water below. Once in the
ground water, it moved slowly following the path of the aquifer
ultimately to the Willow Springs Ponds area (approximately 3.5
miles).
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Does this affect me?
-
No one is known to be drinking or using the untreated ground
water. All residential drinking water wells known to be
impacted by this contamination have had treatment systems
installed. All residents receiving municipal water are using
water that has been tested for perchloroethylene, and if present,
has had perchloroethylene removed.
-
Vapors from solvents in ground water can sometimes migrate from the
ground water upward through soils and into the basements and
buildings above. However, testing of indoor air in buildings
in the Security, Widefield and Fountain areas has shown no migration
of perchloroethylene from the ground water into homes above. (See
PCE Indoor Air Quality Results)
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What are the health effects of Perchloroethylene PCE)?
- Also
visit the Agency
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry for more
information.
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What is Perchloroethylene?
-
Schlage Lock Company used perchloroethylene to
clean the metal parts it was making into locks and related items.
-
Schlage Lock Company stopped using
perchloroethylene by 1992.
-
Perchloroethylene is also known as PCE,
tetrachloroethylene, perchloroethene and "perc."
- It is commonly used as a solvent and is found in
many household items such as: pesticides, adhesives,
aerosols, paints and coatings.
- It is also commonly found in carpet, drapery
cleaning fluid, and household spot removers; telephone and
computer cables; plastic items; vinyl cove molding; linoleum;
concrete blocks; latex paint; carpet padding; foam rubber;
lubricants and cosmetics.
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What is Schlage Lock Company doing about the
problem?
-
Perchloroethylene was used by the facility from
1977 to 1992. Releases of this chemical resulted in it
moving down through the soils to the ground water below.
Once in the ground water, it moved slowly following the path of
the aquifer ultimately to the Willow Springs Ponds area
(approximately 3.5 miles).
-
Clean up of the Schlage Lock Company property is
important because removal of the source area stops the continued
movement of perchloroethylene away from the property.
- Soil Vapor Extraction - a technology used to
remove perchloroethylene from the soil above the ground water by
drawing air through the soil, pulling the perchloroethylene vapors
from the soil.
- Air Sparging - a technology used to enhance
removal of perchloroethylene from ground water by blowing air
through the ground water causing the perchloroethylene to
volatilize into the soil above the groundwater where it can be
removed through soil vapor extraction.
- In-well Sparging and Stripping systems - this
technology is used to remove perchloroethylene from ground water,
treat it within the well. Perchloroethylene that is not
broken down by this method moves to the extraction wells for
treatment above ground.
- Onsite Boundary Control System - wells located
along the Schlage Lock property boundary remove ground water, pipe
it to the Bradley Road treatment system where it is run through an
air stripper to remove perchloroethylene, and then is re-injected
clean to the aquifer.
-
Perchloroethylene is kept from moving into the
Widefield aquifer by a series of wells that draw the ground
water up, push it through an air stripper to remove the
perchloroethylene, and then re-inject clean water to the
aquifer.
- The wells are located in the Little Johnson
Reservoir and along Bradley Road.
-
Treatment of water within the Willow Springs Ponds
is conducted using two aerators that have been placed in the north
pond.
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What is the Colorado Department of Public Health
and Environment's role in the clean up?
-
The Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment (the state health department) is responsible for
enforcing the hazardous waste regulations in the state of
Colorado.
-
The state health department entered into a
Compliance Order on Consent with the Schlage Lock Company in June
1990 as a formal regulatory mechanism.
-
As the investigation progressed, and available
technology improved, a better understanding of the contamination
nature and extent evolved, and an Amended Order on Consent was
agreed to in August 1998.
-
The Amended Order, still effective, addresses
activities already underway and several matters which had arisen
since the 1990 Order.
- The Order addresses specific strategies for the
continued investigation and clean up of the perchloroethylene in
ground water.
- It established required procedures and timeframes
for how the work would progress.
- The state health department staff:
-
Review and approve work plans prior to
commencement of cleanup activities,
-
Review data and other information submitted by
Schlage about the treatment systems monitoring,
-
Review and approve all public information about
the cleanup developed for public distribution,
-
Participate in all public meetings, and
-
Make project update presentation to the public,
upon request.
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Who can I contact for more
information?
For more information about the Schlage Lock
Company cleanup, please contact:
Jeannine Natterman
Public Information Officer
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Denver Metro: 303-692-3303
Toll Free: 1-888-569-1831
Email: comments.hmwmd@state.co.us Attn: J. Natterman
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