ST CHARLES, Mo. — The City of St. Charles shut down another water well in the Elm Point Wellfield to maintain safe drinking water for its residents after detecting contamination.
The closure of City Well No. 7, announced Thursday morning, means that the city has shut down six of its seven wells due to traces of 1,2-dichloroethene and vinyl chloride. To combat a drinking water shortage, the city has been purchasing millions of gallons of water daily from the City of St. Louis instead of producing its own at a lower cost.
Last week, Environmental Protection Agency test results revealed an Ameren substation was the source of the water contamination and said the electric company would be required to clean it up.
Ameren Missouri in a statement agreed the site would be cleared of "cleaning solvents used decades ago." The statement said techniques are in use to remove chemicals and completion was scheduled for March. Concentration levels are expected to be reduced by early summer.
On Thursday, the EPA announced it was directing Ameren to conduct additional cleanup work as part of a 2018 agreement. The EPA said Ameren needed to perform cleanup pilot studies to reduce contaminants, look into different courses of action to keep the contamination from happening and work with St. Charles to address the city's water supply needs while the fixes are being developed and implemented.
After the EPA's statement on Thursday, Ameren provided the following statement:
"We're supportive of the EPA process and look forward to hearing more from them next week. Until that time, we remain focused on the EPA-approved and supervised measures at the Huster substation to contain and remove remnants of cleaning solvents used decades ago. This work is focused directly underneath the substation and will continue until groundwater achieves the strict standards established by the EPA. It is also our understanding that the EPA has not asked for or suggested that the city close any wells."
In January, the City of St Charles launched a "more complete" independent investigation into the water contamination after saying it repeatedly raised concerns about the EPA performing limited, one-time groundwater sampling.
The city's investigation will include the installation of 26 permanent monitoring wells at 13 locations, where groundwater can be repeatedly sampled to ensure the drinking water remains safe and reliable to meet the needs of its citizens.
The EPA scheduled a public meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 23 at the St. Charles Borromeo Parish Gymnasium. The meeting will begin with an availability session, followed by a presentation at 7 p.m. and a question-and-answer session until 8:30 p.m.
The city encouraged residents and business owners to attend the public meeting and make their voices heard on the issue.
The public can also submit comments on the issue through March 6 via email to pubcomment-ees.enrd@usdoj.gov or mail to Assistant Attorney General, U.S. DOJ - ENRD, P.O. Box 7611, Washington, DC 20044-7611.
To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku or Amazon Fire TV.