Pamela Beilka This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. EWG in the News

   www.ewg.org/news/story.php?id= - [Cached]

   Published on: 12/4/2001   Last Visited: 2/27/2003

   Since the report was released, Pamela Beilka, ANPI director of Environmental Health & Safety, said the monitor well containing perchlorate is in a perch zone where there is no chance of it entering drinking water in the St. David area. A perch zone is a puddle of water underground collecting water on top of clay 40 feet underground that spills into a small aquifer, Beilka said.
   
   "No people are really affected," Beilka said. "In this area (St. David), there is a shallow aquifer and a deep aquifer. The shallow aquifer affected by the perchlorate is on our (ANPI) property, so there is no way for people to be exposed."
   
   In St. David, Beilka said of the two aquifers, the shallow aquifer comes from the river and the quality of water isn't as good. She said most of the area population extracts their water from the deep aquifer.
   
   Beilka said she wasn't surprised by the EWG report. She said ANPI has been aware of the perchlorate issue for some time now, although little has been done to clean up the chemical.
   
   Beilka added, that ANPI no longer uses perchlorate in manufacturing, however the level is still increasing because they stopped using nearby ponds for disposal. She said as the water in the ponds decrease, the perchlorate level increases.
   
   All hope is not gone, according to Beilka. She said an ANPI study has turned up bacteria that can break down nitrates and perchlorate, adding ANPI is currently working on the possibility of growing the bacteria for biological treatment.
   
   "The good thing is it's (perchlorate) staying in the perch zone," Beilka said. "We were worried that with the release of the working groups report in July, people would read it and overreact. There is definitely no need for concern. The perchlorate can't reach drinking water."