Purifying a single source aquifer is impossible
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BY JEANIE CASS, MEMBER CASTINE PESTICIDE COMMITTEE, CASTINE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH COMMITTEE
The Castine Environmental Health Committee and the Castine Pesticide Committee have been sharing information on organic lawn care and pest control and the proper use, storage and disposal of hazardous materials that we all have around the house, garage or barn. Whenever possible, a least-harmful solution has been offered for your consideration. These articles have had one goal in mind: to make you aware of the solutions that would do the least harm to our environment and our health.
We have found that the use and overuse of chemical pesticides are the biggest hazard. The recently reported study of Maine’s birds concluded that the eggshells of the entire population now contain significant levels of pesticides and other environmental contaminants. Every compound tested for was found in every part of the state and at levels that might have environmental or health consequences. But for DDT and lead, both of which the U.S. banned because of their disastrous environmental and health effects, the picture was different: their levels have dropped sharply since the last test.
Two lessons are to be learned from this initial study: government action can remediate potentially disastrous use of pesticides, but inattention to their potentially harmful chemical replacements and other contaminants has allowed similar threats to the environment and wildlife to develop. Have we learned nothing from the crisis situation that led to the establishment of the Clean Water Act and the Environmental Protection Agency a generation ago?
Even if you don’t care about our wildlife or your neighbor’s health, you should be concerned about your own health: specifically, the quality of the water you drink every day, the water in which you cook your food, the water you give your pets.
All of the water on-neck in Castine comes from a single source: the lens of water that lies pooled beneath the granite fissures that absorb our groundwater and rainwater (or the groundwater that drains into the holding ponds before it gets to the aquifer). The fissures, in turn, lie beneath our topsoil, grassy lawns and gardens, as well as our roads. Once chemicals—road salt or something else—contaminate this lens of water, it can no longer be used for drinking or watering purposes. It will then be too late to reverse the pollution. Purifying a single source aquifer of the type we have here in Castine is impossible.
The town can’t just drill another well, because all of our water comes from a single source. Alternative sources of water on-neck would be prohibitively expensive to develop: pipes to water sources off-neck, desalinization, and trucking water from off-neck to the ponds are the only imaginable alternatives.
We are all concerned about the sustained value and appreciation of our real estate, much of which has been enhanced at great expense with chemically treated lawns and gardens. But just imagine for a moment what would happen to on-neck property values if we no longer had affordable access to water. Try selling a house that doesn’t have potable water from the tap! Imagine trying to sell your house with a larger tax bill to cover the high-cost alternatives to drawing water from our own aquifer! And, even if you live off-neck and have your own well, just imagine the effect of the water problems on-neck, where the village businesses are, on your property values.
We are not overstating the situation but informing you of our well-researched and depressingly accurate conclusions. We in Castine have a closing window of opportunity to take precautionary action that will avoid the scenario described above. Every action that every citizen takes every day will ultimately make a difference in the quality of our lives and the value of our property.
Take advantage of the free disposal of pesticides
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BY TOM ALLEN, CASTINE
PESTICIDE COMMITTEE
We are all aware of toxin waste sites designated by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency. Few of us may realize that the same agency has declared many of our basements, sheds, garages, or other storage areas as toxic waste sites, also. Many of those residential areas may also contain illegal, as well as toxic agents. As the years go by, more and more pesticides, herbicides and fungicides once sold openly for lawn and garden care have been declared illegal or no longer suitable for use. A few of the more common products that have been declared illegal to use are:
- calcium arsenate
- lead arsenate
- sodium arsenate
- DDT
- dieldrin
- chlordane
- dinoseb
- 2,4,5-T
- silvex
- toxaphene
Most of us have kept those old containers (cans, bottles, cardboard cylinders, plastic bottles and sprayers) of obsolete pesticides sitting on the back shelves behind dried cup cans of paint and half empty jugs of outboard oil. Getting rid of these hazardous chemicals is not as easy as tossing it in our garbage or taking it to the transfer station. Strict guidelines have been formulated which describe the proper disposal of these potentially dangerous agents. Because of these regulations regarding the handling of hazardous products, many people simply keep them stored around their property.
There is a ray of hope shining this fall on the cumbersome and sometimes costly process of legal and safe disposal of illegal and obsolete pesticides. Your Maine state taxes are at work through the auspices of the Maine Board of Pesticide Control, an arm of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources. The Board of Pesticides Control has announced free disposal of banned, unsafe and unusable pesticides scheduled for October. Specific dates and sites have not been announced and are currently being determined but may be obtained by contacting the BPC. The board has declared that citizens must register with the board if they intend to take advantage of this one-day disposal procedure.
Paul Schlein, BPC Public Information Officer, has said, “We urge people holding these chemicals to contact us immediately to register. There will be four sites throughout the state where folks will be able to bring their obsolete pesticides.” In addition to banned and obsolete agents, the BPC will also accept chlorpyrifos (Dursban) and diazinon products labeled for household use. These agents are being phased out because of possible harm to children.
The Castine Pesticide Committee urges you to check your basements, garages, and sheds for the presence of these agents. If you find that you do have them stored on your property, the Pesticide Committee encourages you to take advantage of this free disposal program and to contact the Board of Pesticide Control toll free at 800-662-4545 and ask to speak to Sam Morris or by e-mail to sam.morris@maine.gov. The Web site for the Maine Board of Pesticide Control is www.thinkfirstspraylast.org. Your Pesticide Committee will encourage the Board of Pesticide Control to consider adding sites closer to Castine and the Downeast area.
Tips from the Maine Board of Pesticide Control for the safe handling of pesticides before disposal
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BY GREGORY DUNHAM, CASTINE PESTICIDE COMMITTEE
Last week we introduced you to a free pesticide collection program offered by the Maine Board of Pesticide Control. The following information will be helpful if you wish to participate in the program. Please remember, this program is for banned or obsolete pesticides only. The closest collection site will be Bangor and the date will be Wednesday, October 3. The collection site will be the DEP office in Bangor. Each person who wishes to dispose of these materials must submit a form to the Maine Board of Pesticide Control, who must then process that form and send back paperwork. The paperwork must be brought to the collection site or the pesticides cannot be disposed of. Due to the short time remaining till October 3, this paperwork needs to be done ASAP. Brochures explaining the procedure will be available at Town Hall.
How to participate in collection program
- Download the Obsolete Pesticide Inventory Form at the following address: www.mainegov-images.informe.org/agriculture/pesticides/pdf/obsoleteform_fillable_9-07.pdf, or contact the BPC to have one mailed to you.
- On this form, identify pesticide active ingredients shown on each product’s label. Unidentified products without labels or markings should also be described in as much detail as possible.
- Store obsoletes properly until the next annual collection drive. The BPC will contact you several weeks prior to that drive to inform you of your local collection date and location. Can’t make an upcoming drive? No problem...the BPC will keep your name on file for the next collection.
- After your inventory form is received, the BPC will mail a map and instructions 10 days before your collection date.
- Bring your obsoletes to the assigned site. Once there, stay in your vehicle and present shipping papers to officials. They will direct you to place obsoletes in an appropriate receptacle.
Proper storage before collection
Until you are able to take advantage of the October collection program, sound storage practice remains the best—and only—way to prevent an environmental or health crisis from occurring in your backyard.
- Keep pesticides high, dry and locked up away from children and pets.
- Dry materials should be free of moisture, wrapped in heavy-duty plastic bags.
- Liquid materials in glass bottles in good condition require no special attention other than to store beyond reach of children.
- Rusting metal cans must be wrapped in plastic bags and placed into rubber or plastic trash containers. Surround wrapped pesticides with kitty litter, newspaper, vermiculite or other absorbent material. Be sure secondary containers have labels identifying contents.
- If a bottle, bag or other container leaks, call the Department of Environmental Protection for advice on proper cleanup at 800-452-4664.
Transporting safely
- Dry materials must be wrapped in plastic bags and placed in cardboard cartons or plastic buckets. Liquids must be put into plastic containers with newspaper.
- Never transport pesticides in the cab or interior of your vehicle. Use the truck’s bed or the car’s trunk.
- Be sure to attach labels to containers. Unlabeled materials will not be accepted at the collection site.
- Brace items in your vehicle’s bed or trunk to prevent shifting while en route.
- Cover loads in open-bed trucks in case of rain.
- Sign both copies of the “shipping papers.” Keep one copy in the vehicle and the other on yourself in case an accident requires you leave the vehicle and inform authorities. Note phone numbers for fire and police.
- Drive directly to the pesticide collection site after you load your vehicle.
- Drive carefully, please! You are responsible for any spills and their subsequent clean up and restoration costs.
What is most essential for Castine’s water safety?
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BY KAREN SIEGEL, CASTINE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH COMMITTEE
The first three articles in this series on safe water for Castine dealt with the sources of our drinking water, the threats to its safety, and what we can do as a community to protect this, our most valuable natural resource. I hope it is now clear that you can have a significant impact on protecting our drinking water by becoming informed and involved in the process at the community level. This article deals with the most essential player in preserving Castine’s water quality: you as an individual.
Are you surprised to learn that the way you dispose of your household products can contribute to the contamination of Castine’s groundwater? The truth is that your small day-to-day actions have the greatest potential to protect or harm our drinking water.
Are you surprised to learn that a number of the products that you use at home contain hazardous or toxic substances? The truth is that products like motor oil, pesticides, leftover paints or paint cans, mothballs, flea collars, weed killers, household cleaners, and even a number of medicines, contain materials that can be harmful to groundwater and to the environment in general. The average American disposes of approximately one pound of this type of waste each year. As we have pointed out in earlier articles, our individual contributions to water contamination, taken alone, can be small, but the number of us in the Castine watershed makes these sources of contamination a problem. A list of many common household items is shown.
Here are general do’s and don’ts to follow in disposing of these potential threats to our water:
Don’t pour it down the drain
Anything you pour down your drain or flush down your toilet will enter your septic system or our public sewer system. Using this method to dispose of products that contain harmful substances can affect your septic system’s ability to treat human wastes. Once in the ground, these harmful substances can eventually contaminate the groundwater. In addition, public wastewater treatment plants are not designed to treat many of these substances. So pouring these products down the drain will mean that they can eventually be discharged into bodies of surface water and cause contamination.
Don’t put it in the trash
Landfills are not equipped to handle hazardous materials. As rain and snow pass through the landfill, the water can become contaminated by these products and eventually carry them into the groundwater and surface water.
Don’t dump it on the ground
Hazardous wastes that are dumped on or buried in the ground can contaminate the soil and either leach down into the groundwater or be carried into a nearby body of surface water by runoff during rainstorms.
Do use and dispose of harmful materials properly
Since there are very few options for disposing of hazardous products used in your home, the first step is to limit your use of such products. Substitute a non-hazardous product whenever possible. When that is not possible, buy only as much as you need. Larger quantities may be less expensive, but they leave you with the problem of disposing of them safely. Finally, support efforts of officials and organizations in Castine to sponsor periodic household hazardous waste collection days. By helping Castine centralize collection and disposal of hazardous household wastes, you will be making a major contribution toward protecting our water.
Do take care of your septic system
As we pointed out in an earlier article, your septic system is a vital part of our waste water system and, thus, the total water system. We provide more details about proper maintenance here.
Your septic system is designed to have its effluent discharge into a drainage field where it undergoes some decomposition by microorganisms in the soil as it works its way down to the groundwater. If your system is not pumped out frequently enough, solid materials can leave the tank and enter the drainage field. Any substances poured down your drains also will enter that drainage field and eventually the groundwater.
To prevent groundwater contamination from your septic system:
- Have your septic system inspected annually and pumped out regularly. No chemical or other additive can be a substitute for this, and these septic system chemicals actually can prevent your septic system from functioning properly.
- Be cautious about what you put into your system; substances like coffee grounds, cigarette butts, sanitary items, or fats do not break down easily in septic systems, and chemicals like paints, solvents, oil, and pesticides will go from your septic system into the groundwater.
- Limit the amount of water entering your system by using water-saving fixtures and appliances.
Do reduce or eliminate toxic chemicals in your yard
If you are a homeowner, you probably take a lot of pride in your home and the yard surrounding it. You may apply fertilizers to make your grass thick and green, your flowers colorful, and your vegetable crop abundant. You also may use pesticides to keep bugs from ruining what the fertilizers have helped to produce. What you may not know, however, is that many of these fertilizers and pesticides contain hazardous chemicals that can travel through the soil and contaminate groundwater. If you feel that you must use these chemicals, use them in moderation. This is not a case of “more is better.”
Even better, reduce your reliance on chemicals and look for natural ways to control lawn, garden, and tree pests. We have addressed some of these solutions in past articles and will continue to provide more alternatives in the future. Or check out YardScaping on the State of Maine Web site, www.thinkfirstspraylast.org.
What else can you do
Get involved! If you think one person can’t change the system, help form a group. You, alone or as part of a group, can educate your family, friends and neighbors about the importance of safe water now and for future generations. After you’ve cleaned up your own act, you can help Castine clean up its act.
In future weeks we will be providing specific guidelines for how to handle and dispose of toxic items around your home, as well as more information about protecting our precious drinking water.
The Castine Environmental Health Committee has put together a series of articles on how individuals can act to protect our drinking water. These articles are culled from the Environmental Protection Agency and from Maine’s Drinking Water Program Web sites, www.epa.gov and www.maine.gov/dhhs/eng/water. For more detailed information, we urge everyone to read the EPA Citizen’s Guide To Ground-Water Protection and Maine Department of Humane Services Drinking Water Program, Best Management Practices for Groundwater Protection. You are the most important link in protecting our drinking water.
Threats to Castine’s groundwater quality
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BY KAREN SIEGEL, CASTINE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH COMMITTEE
Last week’s article talked about where Castine’s drinking water comes from, the fact that all drinking water is vulnerable to contamination, and the high cost of remediation vs. protection. This week we look at some of the greatest threats to our water supply.
When we think of threats to the safety of our drinking water, dramatic scenarios may come to mind: Love Canal-type situations, terrorism, or Erin Brokovich-style class action lawsuits. Fortunately, Castine’s situation is less dramatic. Living in a small community, we are able to play a more direct role in preserving water quality.
Today, our daily actions (and inactions) are the most significant determinants of our water’s safety. However, many of us inadvertently contribute to pollution simply because we do not realize that our activities can contaminate water supplies. This is particularly true of threats to groundwater, which are often simply hidden from view or difficult to visualize.
The EPA publication Citizen’s Guide To Ground-Water Protection points out eight areas of possible sources of groundwater contamination. While substances that contaminate groundwater can occur naturally—such as minerals—substances resulting from man’s activities are the far bigger source of groundwater contamination. Synthetic organic chemicals and hydrocarbons (solvents, pesticides, petroleum products), landfill leachates (liquids that have dripped through the landfill and carry dissolved substances from it, such as heavy metals and organic decomposition products), salt, bacteria and viruses are the main sources of concern.
What can we do to lessen the risks from these sources? We can start by considering the following eight recommendations from the EPA:
1. Septic systems: maintain them
Effluent, or outflow, from septic tanks, cesspools, and privies is a major source of groundwater contamination. Approximately one fourth of all homes in the United States rely on septic systems to dispose of their human wastes. All off-neck residents in Castine rely on septic systems.
Groundwater can become contaminated by bacteria, nitrates, viruses, synthetic detergents, household chemicals, and chlorides if these systems are improperly designed, maintained and serviced. Despite the insignificant contribution to groundwater contamination that each individual system makes, the sheer number of such systems and their widespread use make them serious contamination sources. So the number one thing that we can do to protect Castine groundwater is to make sure that our home and business septic systems are well designed, maintained, serviced, and used properly.
2. Agricultural activities: minimize water contaminants
We are fortunate in Castine that we don’t have industrial-scale agricultural activities, with tons of fertilizers and pesticides spread on the ground and the storage and disposal of large amounts of livestock waste that make significant contributions to groundwater contamination. But even small-scale farms and individual households, both on-neck and off-neck, need to think how their actions can contribute to this type of groundwater pollution. The chemicals that we apply to fields, lawns, ornamentals, and food plants are all possible water contaminants and should be minimized or be replaced by natural alternatives. The ways that we dispose of animal wastes should also be examined in light of their possible contributions to water pollution. Once again, the contribution of one household’s fertilizers, pesticides or animal wastes may be small, but when we consider all households together, coupled with the recent increase of fertilizer and pesticide usage, it is important for us to take a conservative approach.
Many organizations and individuals in Castine have already committed to stopping the use of pesticides and fertilizers including the Town of Castine, Maine Maritime Academy, Castine Community Hospital Corporation, the Castine Inn and the Pentagöet Inn. We applaud these commitments to protecting our water supply and hope others will follow.
3. Landfills: keep it out
The approximately 500 hazardous waste land disposal facilities and more than 16,000 municipal and other landfills nationwide are now required to be constructed with clay or synthetic liners and leachate collection systems. Unfortunately, these requirements are comparatively recent, and thousands of landfills were built, operated, and abandoned in the past without such safeguards. A number of these sites have caused serious groundwater contamination problems and are now being cleaned up. However, a lack of information about the location of many of these sites makes it difficult, if not impossible, to determine how many others may now be contaminating groundwater. This information gap is a problem for long-settled areas in the United States such as Castine.
Castine has worked to ensure that the Town Transfer Station meets all necessary requirements and to resolve issues as they have arisen. However, continued vigilance is required from each of us. Future articles will address how we as individuals can act to ensure contaminants from the transfer station do not affect our water supply.
4. Underground storage tanks: remove or replace
Between five and six million underground storage tanks are used to store a variety of materials including gasoline, fuel oil, and numerous chemicals. The average life span of these tanks is 18 years, and over time, exposure to the elements causes them to corrode. Now, hundreds of thousands of these tanks are estimated to be leaking, and many are contaminating groundwater. Replacement costs for these tanks are estimated at $1 per gallon of storage capacity; a cleanup operation can cost considerably more. In recent years, many of these tanks have been replaced including fuel tanks at Eaton’s Boatyard, and the T&C Grocery. Unfortunately, some of us may not even know of old tanks on our properties.
5. Abandoned wells: seal it up
Wells can be another source of groundwater contamination. In the years before there were community water supply systems, most people relied on wells to provide their drinking water. If a well is abandoned without being properly sealed, it can act as a direct channel for contaminants to reach groundwater. In a community as old as Castine, there are certainly many abandoned wells on our properties. If you have one, it is important that it be properly sealed.
6. Highway de-icing: minimize
A similar flushing mechanism also applies to the salt that is used to de-ice roads and highways every winter. As ice and snow melt or rain subsequently falls, the salt is washed into the surrounding soil where it can work its way down to the groundwater. Salt can also find its way into groundwater from improperly protected storage stockpiles. This also holds true for salt used on your sidewalk or driveway. As with other contaminants, residue from one residence may not seem like a lot but added together, the community contribution can be significant. So use manual methods when possible; it’s a great workout. Or look for less toxic alternatives.
7. Accidents and illegal dumping: clean it up
Accidents also can result in groundwater contamination. Frequently, the automatic reaction of the first people at the scene of an accident involving a spill will be to flush the area with water to dilute the chemical. This just washes the chemical into the soil around the accident site, allowing it to work its way down to the groundwater. In addition, there are numerous instances of groundwater contamination caused by the illegal dumping of hazardous or other potentially harmful wastes. Again, this is a situation where a small amount of gasoline accidentally spilled by one person may not seem significant, but the amount across the community can quickly add up. Know the proper way the clean up any toxic product you are using. We will be addressing proper clean up methods of commonly used items in future articles.
8. Surface impoundments: seal them up
Another potentially significant source of groundwater contamination is surface impoundments—e.g., ponds, lagoons—used by municipalities, industries, and businesses to store, treat, and dispose of a variety of liquid wastes and wastewater. While we are not aware of any surface impoundments in Castine, it is possible that long-ago abandoned ones may exist. It is important that these be properly sealed.
The contamination of rivers, lakes, and streams can often be seen with the naked eye, but groundwater is hidden from view. Its contamination occurs gradually and generally is not detected until the problem has already become extensive. This makes cleanup a complicated, costly, and sometimes impossible process. Our groundwater deserves every ounce of prevention that we can muster!
Next week we will discuss what we as a community can do to protect our water supply.
The Castine Environmental Health Committee has put together a series of articles on how individuals can act to protect our drinking water. These articles are culled from the Environmental Protection Agency and from Maine’s Drinking Water Program Web sites (www.epa.gov and www.maine.gov/dhhs/eng/water). For more detailed information, we urge everyone to read the EPA Citizen’s Guide To Ground-Water Protection and Maine Department of Humane Services Drinking Water Program, Best Management Practices for Groundwater Protection. You are the most important link in protecting our drinking water.
How we as a community can protect our public water supply
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BY KAREN SIEGEL, CASTINE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH COMMITTEE
Two previous articles have discussed threats to the quality of Castine’s drinking water and sources of groundwater contamination. In almost every situation, the cost of cleaning up contamination exceeds—far exceeds—the cost of preventing it in the first place. And in some cases, groundwater contamination cannot be remediated. We would now like to look at actions we can take as a community to protect our drinking water.
Source water protection, whether surface water, groundwater, or a combination of the two, as with the Castine public water system, ultimately has to be implemented as a community-based program in order to be effective. Indeed, while federal and state regulations guide source water protection programs, local jurisdictions are mostly responsible for implementing them.
Source water contamination of public water systems threatens public health. It may require expensive treatment or replacement or relocation of the water supply. These costs are passed on to every user served by the public water system and local property values may be reduced. Water is a limited resource. If a source becomes contaminated, there simply may not be another source available for development. As many will recall, Castine has struggled in recent years to resolve our problem with arsenic-contaminated water. This has been a costly and time-consuming process. Therefore, protection of existing sources of water is a prudent way both to protect public health and to keep treatment costs to a minimum.
Best Management Practices for Groundwater Protection, a publication of the Maine Drinking Water Program, outlines the following ways that Castine can protect our public water supply:
Keep it out
The simplest way to protect our public water supply is to keep potential contamination sources out of the wellhead protection area. Determining the level of acceptable risk is one of the most difficult problems faced by water districts and towns. Prohibition of all uses and activities will provide the most protection; careless siting of unsafe uses and activities provides the least. Political realities may make the simplest approach a difficult option to adopt. However, many towns consider safeguarding their investment in the water supply and ease of administration and enforcement by “just saying no,” a good trade-off.
Keep it small
If a potential contamination source must be sited in a wellhead protection area, limiting the size of development is the next step. Keeping risks small may mean reducing the scale of development. For example, one fuel storage tank may only be required instead of three. By limiting the presence of toxic chemicals at or near our water supply sources, we can limit the potential for contamination.
Know what is there
Often the town doesn’t even know when and where a potential contamination source is being used or stored. The location and composition of every potential contaminant source within the wellhead protection area should be known and emergency contingency plans for how to deal with any spills, accidents, and fires should be in place. Landowners and/or operators should be aware of their potential to affect the water supply negatively. Complete inventories of potential contaminants should include a visual ground survey and a search through state and local records. Know what potential contaminants are on your property and ensure they are properly stored, handled and disposed of.
Enforce proper maintenance and
proper practice
Businesses or landowners using, storing or creating potential contaminants should be using proper practices to protect the water supply. Multi-barrier approaches are better than single barriers: if there is an accident, like a problem with a holding tank or containment structure, there is a back-up to protect the water supply. Proper maintenance of structures and equipment will reduce the chance of accidents.
Know when there is a problem
Require those located in the wellhead protection area to promptly notify the town and water supplier when there are spills or accidents with the potential to contaminate water sources.
Consider future uses
Buildings may outlast zoning in a town, but with proper care, the groundwater will outlast both. It is tempting to allow structures or uses in the wellhead protection area because they seem innocent enough when they are proposed. But decision-makers need to think of the future. A three-bay garage for the hobby woodworker may become perfect place for an auto body shop if zoning changes in the future.
Use permits
Municipalities can require owners or operators of facilities that can pose a potential risk to water supplies to obtain permits. Permits allow authorities to maintain an inventory of potential contamination sources, periodically inspect facilities for compliance with ordinances, require minimum construction or operating standards, and periodically reexamine the appropriateness of the source or activity to determine if revisions (or discontinuance) are necessary.
Practice good housekeeping
Careful handling of potentially dangerous substances and proper use of equipment and chemicals in daily use can go a long way to protecting our water supply. These “good housekeeping” practices typically do not require significant expenditures or drastic changes to customary activities. They can often save money by eliminating waste.
Limiting fertilizer applications to lawns and gardens and properly storing chemicals to prevent contamination of storm water runoff can do a lot to protect our water supply. Chemicals and oil should not be poured into sewers. Pet wastes, a significant source of nutrient contamination, should be disposed of properly.
Next week I will talk about what we as individuals can do to protect our water supply.
The Castine Environmental Health Committee has put together a series of articles on how individuals can act to protect our drinking water. These articles are culled from the Environmental Protection Agency and from Maine’s Drinking Water Program Web sites (www.epa.gov and www.maine.gov/dhhs/eng/water).
For more detailed information, we urge everyone to read the EPA Citizen’s Guide To Ground-Water Protection and Maine Department of Human Services Drinking Water Program, Best Management Practices for Groundwater Protection. You are the most important link in protecting our drinking water.
Surfing to a healthier environment
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By KAREN SIEGEL,
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH COMMITTEE,
CASTINE
We all try to live healthier lives. We watch our weight, try to exercise, and eat better. Many have stopped smoking, watch their cholesterol. How many of us even knew what our blood pressure was 20 years ago? Today we work to live better, so we can live longer, healthy lives.
At the same time we have modified our lifestyles to improve our health we have increased behaviors that can actually threaten it.
According to the Maine Board of Pesticides Control, the usage of cosmetic pesticides on lawns increased by 300 percent from 1995 to 2004. The EPA states, “all pesticides are toxic to some degree…and the commonplace, widespread use of pesticides is both a major environmental problem and a public health issue.”
Can we balance our desire to have a pleasing yardscape and a safe environment? Happily the answer is yes! And there are several excellent Web sites that can guide you through the process.
One of the best sites on the web comes from our own Maine state government. Sometimes it’s good to see your tax dollars at work! The Maine Board of Pesticides Control has developed the YardScaping Web site (www.yardscaping.org) that provides a wealth of information about how to have a beautiful and environmentally safe yard. Their focus on plant choice and common sense maintenance techniques helps you create a yard that is in harmony with Maine’s environment.
Follow their techniques and you will be on your way to a safer yard while saving money. And take their YardScaper pledge and you will receive a free YardScaping sign to display on your healthy lawn (www.yardscaping.org/involved.htm).
Another excellent site is Beyond Pesticides, the Web site of the National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides (www.beyondpesticides.org). This organization’s main focus is to enact change through political action. It includes information on how to read pesticide labels, healthy alternatives, and a wealth of information on pesticide dangers.
Other useful sites include the Pesticide Free Zone (www.pesticidefreezone.org) that has examples of safe, healthy yards. The Sweet Grass Gardens (www.sweetgrassgardens.com), a commercial site from Canada that has some great chemical free remedies (look under “More Help,” the vinegar solution is amazing). Become inspired by the progress made in Canada which is far beyond the U.S. in controlling pesticide usage (www.pesticidefree.ca), as is Europe. And the list goes on: www.pesticidefreeyards.org, www.spcpweb.org, www.pesticidefreesign.com.
So follow the adage of the Maine Pesticides Control Board, “Think First, Spray Last.” Educate yourself and your neighbors, and follow healthy, money saving approaches to yard maintenance. It’s easy, it’s smart, it’s healthy. It makes for a better world for everyone.
Carpenter ants
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BY GREGORY DUNHAM,
CASTINE ENVIRONMENTAL
HEALTH COMMITTEE
As a member of both the Castine Environmental Health Committee and the Castine Pesticide Committee, I’m often approached by concerned residents seeking alternatives to pesticide usage for an array of problems. Lately, one of the most frequently asked questions is about carpenter ants.
Here are some simple common-sense steps you can take to prevent carpenter ant infestations. First of all, don’t feed the ants. Remember that carpenter ants don’t eat wood, they nest in it. Most of their food comes from insects and honeydew, but inside your house they will eat crumbs, candy, honey, sugar and pet food. Store food in ant proof containers and keep your counters and floors clean of food residues.
Carpenter ant nests inside homes are generally satellite nests, linked to a larger outside “parent” nest by trails. Caulk any cracks that ants could use to enter your house, especially around electrical and water lines. Ants could use a branch as a pathway into your house, so trim away any branches touching the exterior of your house, including the roof. Be sure to keep firewood stored well away from your house and up off the ground. You can build a woodpile on concrete blocks so it’s not touching the ground. Never bring firewood into your house if it’s infested with ants. Likewise, use concrete pier blocks underneath wooden parts of porches and decks so they are not in contact with the ground.
Carpenter ants love moisture so clean clogged gutters to prevent water damage to your house and make sure crawl spaces and attics are well ventilated. Also, be sure to use a vapor barrier if you have a crawl space. Eliminate any damp conditions in or near your house and replace any damaged structural wood in your house.
If you can locate the nest or nests inside your home you can try to remove it, by vacuuming up the ants and disposing of the bag, so that they don’t get back into your home. You may have to vacuum more than once. You can also try to destroy the outside “parent” nest if you can locate it, by following the ant trails.
If these simple steps don’t solve your problem, you should avoid most carpenter ant pesticides, especially broadcast or perimeter treatments, but you could consider the use of boric acid or borate products. Borates have been used to control insects, including the destructive Formosan termite, standard termites, carpenter ants, silverfish and roaches in homes for years. Borates interfere with insects’ metabolic systems and effectively kill them. They also protect against rot and fungi. They can be applied as baits targeted to areas where ants are active, as paint-on wood preservatives in out-of-the-way locations, or as dusts inside wall voids. These techniques minimize exposure to people and pets and are considered a least-toxic solution, as compared to the nontoxic solutions suggested earlier. Most pest control companies should be willing to use boric acid or borate products if you specifically request it.
An EPA assessment of a boric acid pilot pest control program conducted at the U.S. Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland found that boric acid was both more economical and more effective than a monthly spray treatment. Due to its unique mode of action, insects do not gain resistance to borates and it is both water and heat resistant, and remains effective for long periods of time.
A new way of looking at things
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BY GREGORY DUNHAM, MEMBER, CASTINE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH COMMITTEE
“And with his grain he scattered the seeds of the dandelion and the wild trefoil over the meadows, mingling his English flowers with the wild native ones.”
—A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers: Sunday, by Henry D. Thoreau
In just a few weeks an army of intrepid little yellow flowers will start to appear on our green lawns and along the edges of the road mimicking the color of the sun and heralding the beginning of spring. The infamous yellow dandelion has, for some reason, attracted more than the honey bees that move busily from flower to flower. It has attracted our scorn. Many people have come to think of these first signs of spring as a nuisance, spending good money to eliminate them from their yards by dumping untold amounts of pesticides on their lawns.
Here in Castine we are not an exception. The chemical lawn companies and some individuals will soon begin waging war on these little yellow harbingers of the season in a losing battle. The flowers seem to return again and again causing more and more chemicals to be dumped over our lawns and by extension over Castine’s single source aquifer. Sooner or later these chemicals have the ability to seep down through layers of earth, into crevices in the underlying rock finally making their way to contaminate our source water.
We were encouraged by the negative results of the water test conducted last fall, but one test does not tell the whole story. For a true picture, tests need to be done quarterly to be sure there is no infiltration occurring around or during the times of heaviest application of these chemicals.
Maybe it’s time to rethink our hatred for dandelions. Try thinking of dandelions as a gift of nature, bringing joy and color to monotonous green lawns and fields. Our forbears found many ways to appreciate and live harmoniously with them by incorporating these plants into their menus. In fact European settlers actually brought this tenacious yellow flower with them to the New World, because it was widely used as both food and medicine. Dandelions are very high in vitamins and minerals like Vitamin A and have as much Vitamin C by weight as grapefruits. In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says dandelions pack more nutritional punch than even broccoli and spinach.
As a way to help change our “modern” attitude toward this free gift, I have collected a few simple recipes that can add a new dimension to our meals and help us live more in accord with nature rather than thinking of it as an enemy.
Here are three recipes I have chosen to help us begin to look at Dandelions in a different way:
Dandelion Salad
with Anchovy Dressing (adapted from the San Francisco Chronicle) Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 2 bunches dandelion greens
- 6 anchovy filets
- 5 stalks green garlic, cleaned as you would a leek and chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbs. dark vinegar, such as balsamic
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Wash and dry dandelion greens.
- Cut into 2” long slivers.
- Mash anchovy filets with garlic; blend in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Toss leaves with dressing, then divide among four plates.
- Season with S & P and serve at room temperature with thick slices of chewy bread.
Fried Dandelion Blossoms (adapted from RecipeZaar.com)
Ingredients:
- 4 cups dandelion flowers (no stems)
- 1 cup flour or bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- olive oil(for frying)
Directions:
- Wash dandelion blossoms in salted water (about 3 tablespoons in 1 gallon of water) rinse thoroughly and pat semi-dry on a towel.
- Mix flour, salt and pepper in large ziplock bag; add dandelion blossoms and shake until coated.
- Fry in hot oil until browned. Drain on paper towels and salt to taste.
- Don’t forget you can use the dandelion leaves in a salad.
Dandelion Greens with Sausage
(adapted from Mountain-breeze.com)
Ingredients:
- 1 gal. dandelion greens
- 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
- 3 small potatoes, cut and diced
- 2 Tbs. rice
- 4 Tbs. vinegar
- 1 to 1-1/2 qt. water
- 1 tsp. salt
Directions:
- Wash and cut 1 gallon dandelion greens.
- Place in bottom of medium-size pot.
- Put 1 pound of sausage, cut in pieces, in pot.
- Put more dandelion greens on top of sausage.
- Add cut and diced potatoes on top of greens.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of rice over potatoes.
- Add water and salt
- Boil all 40 minutes and add 4 tablespoons of vinegar before serving.
- If needed, more water may be added if it starts to boil dry.
A note of caution: If you have been treating your lawn with chemicals, it would be wise to refrain from harvesting your dandelions for at least a year in order to let the toxic chemical residues remaining in your soil dilute and disperse. Also, be careful that your neighbors’ sprays aren’t drifting over to your lawn and don’t gather them by the side of the road. To be safe always wash them thoroughly before preparation. If you have questions about toxic free alternatives or ideas for future articles, e-mail your questions or comments to castine.environment@gmail.com.
Protecting your drinking water
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BY KAREN SIEGEL, CASTINE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH COMMITTEE
In this, the first of a series of articles about drinking water safety, the Castine Environmental Health Committee looks at where our drinking water comes from.
When we turn on the tap in Castine, we assume that our water is safe for drinking, cooking and bathing. As we go about our daily lives, we assume that a combination of local, state, and federal government policies, regulations, and actions guarantee high water quality.
That assumption is dangerous. It ignores our personal responsibility for assuring water quality, the natural and man-made threats to Castine water quality, the limits of government, and the high cost of remediation versus prevention if we are to continue to enjoy safe drinking water.
According to the EPA, drinking water sources are vulnerable to contamination that can cause a community significant expense and threaten public health. Water is a shared resource: individuals, citizen groups, and Castine as a whole community can protect our drinking water sources. The good news is that protecting our water is not difficult. It takes some knowledge, some consideration of the consequences of our actions or inactions, and some new habits.
The first step that we as Castine citizens can take is to understand where the water we drink comes from. The drinking water in the Castine public system comes from two sources, groundwater and surface water. The groundwater feeds four deep wells providing approximately 75 percent of our publicly supplied drinking water. The surface water runs into the ponds on Battle Avenue and provides the other 25 percent. Outside the public system, residents get their water from private wells.
The 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act require that states ensure that a source water assessment is completed for every public water system. A source water assessment is a study and report available to the public and unique to each water system, which provides basic information about the water used as drinking water. It also shows where drinking water comes from and identifies potential sources of contamination that could pose a threat to its quality.
Castine’s Planning Board and Utility Board have been working with Peter Garrett, a consultant on groundwater issues, to refine the Source Water Protection Overlay District section of the Castine Zoning Ordinance. Garrett has a PhD in earth sciences from Johns Hopkins University and has been practicing in Maine and throughout the country for 26 years dealing with such issues as contaminant remediation, water supply exploration and development, and protection of groundwater resources. He has provided refinements to our existing ordinance, which will help ensure the safety of our public water supply. It is now the responsibility of each of us to heed these requirements.
Whether our drinking water comes from the public system or a private well, the ultimate sources are the same: the groundwater, streams, rivers, springs and lakes in our watershed. Protecting this source water is an important part of having safe drinking water.
Until the 1970s, experts believed that groundwater was naturally protected from contamination. The layers of soil and particles of sand, gravel, crushed rocks, and larger rocks were thought to act as filters, trapping contaminants before they could reach the groundwater. Since then, however, every state has reported cases of contaminated groundwater with some instances receiving widespread publicity. We now know that some contaminants can pass through all of these filtering layers into the saturated zone to contaminate groundwater.
Between 1971 and 1985, 245 groundwater-related disease outbreaks, with 52,181 associated illnesses, were reported. Most of these diseases were short-term digestive disorders. Today, about 10 percent of all groundwater public water supply systems in the United States are in violation of drinking water standards for biological contamination. In addition, approximately 74 pesticides, a number of which are known carcinogens, have been detected in the groundwater of 38 states. No reliable estimates about the extent of groundwater contamination in the U.S. have been made at this point.
Surface water is vulnerable to contamination from direct discharges, runoff and groundwater inflow. Chemical and microbiological contaminants may enter surface water through runoff or through direct disposal into rivers or streams. In addition, acid rain may affect surface water sources and contaminated groundwater may interact with surface water and spread contamination. Surface water is also vulnerable to both chemical and microbiological contamination and in most cases requires treatment, filtration and/or disinfection before it is safe to drink. Runoff from surface areas in a watershed, either near a drinking water supply intake or in upstream tributaries, may contain contaminants, including human or animal wastes. In addition, contaminated groundwater may recharge streams or lakes, spreading the contamination to a surface water source.
The economic cost of ignoring protection activities can be high. According to the EPA, studies have shown that the cost of dealing with contaminated groundwater supplies for the communities studied was, on average, 30 to 40 times more (and up to 200 times greater) than preventing their contamination.
So what can we as individuals do to protect the water we drink? In the coming weeks, the Castine Environmental Health Committee will be publishing additional articles on how we, the most important link in water quality protection, can assure that the drinking water from our taps will continue to be safe.
The Castine Environmental Health Committee has put together a series of articles on how individuals can act to protect our drinking water. These articles are culled from the Environmental Protection Agency and from Maine’s Drinking Water Program Web sites ( www.epa.gov and www.maine.gov/dhhs/eng/water).
For more detailed information, we urge everyone to read the EPA Citizen’s Guide To Ground-Water Protection and Maine Department of Humane Services Drinking Water Program, Best Management Practices for Groundwater Protection. You are the most important link in protecting our drinking water.
Home grown weed control
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BY KAREN SIEGEL, CASTINE PESTICIDE COMMITTEE
Many people think that pesticides are “safe” simply because you purchase them at a hardware store, garden supply center or supermarket. Think again. Pesticides are designed to be toxic—poisonous—to pests. They must be handled very cautiously. And if handled improperly, they can easily pose risks to children and adults, pets, and beneficial creatures and plants.
The application of poisonous chemicals to kill unwanted pests on our lawns and gardens is known as “cosmetic or nonessential pesticide usage”—is it worth risking the health of the environment and each other? I think most people would answer, “No,” especially when there are lots of alternatives to using chemicals in your yard.
We will be exploring some of these alternatives this winter and providing you with safer solutions to your pest problems. Our first solution is one I’ve been using this summer to fight those persistent weeds which grow up in the driveway, patio and walkways. It’s easy, inexpensive, and faster and longer lasting than Roundup.
Home Recipe for Weed Control
Ingredients:
- 4-1/4 cups white vinegar
- 1/4 cup table salt
- 2 tablespoons liquid dish soap
Mix together and spray on your unwanted weeds. In about an hour the weeds will have turned brown. I found that it keeps the weeds away for weeks.
Tips:
- You can use a spray bottle if you have a small area to treat. Otherwise, I found that a pump sprayer is much easier for large areas—your driveway, for example. It holds about a gallon, you give it 8-10 pumps and spray away. You can purchase these at hardware stores for about $20, or if you’re lucky, find one at Marden’s for $6.
- Make sure you give the plant a good soaking. The most effective method I found was pointing the nozzle directly at the plant and giving it a good squirt. The plant should have a “soaked” appearance.
- I found a bargain on the white vinegar at Sam’s Club. A box with two 1-gallon bottles was less than $4. Compare that to the price of Roundup.
- Be careful when applying the solution as it will kill any plant it covers. So, while this is a good solution in places where you want no vegetation, such as a gravel driveway, it is not wise to use in your garden.
Watch for other solutions to your pesty problems. Join the growing number of people who are choosing to change their lawn and gardening ways. Let the world know you care about the health of the environment, people and wildlife. Plant a “YardScaping” sign today by going to Maine’s state pesticide control website, www.yardscaping.org/involved.htm. The sign is free and the site will provide you with lots of great information.
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