Could it happen here?

Could it happen here? Could the toxic waste problems which afflicted Woburn in 1979 occur here?

Could it happen in Salem or Beverly or Peabody or Gloucester or Newburyport? Or in your hometown wherever you live?

Unfortunately, the simple answer is "Yes. Easily."

The primary chemicals named in the lawsuit TCE (trichloroethylene) and PCE or PERC (tetrachloroethylene) are widespread.

PERC was used in the leather industry to waterproof leather. Peabody and Salem had leather industries, but most of them closed before PERC was used.

But PERC is also used at nearly every dry cleaners in the country.

TCE is used at most machine shops along with other chemicals designed to clean or cool metal during the shaping process.

TCE and PERC are the most common contaminants found in water supplies in the nation. Only one pesticide is more commonly found in polluted water.

Some companies think that they can play it safe and dump the chemicals they use into the sewer system.

The problem is that sewer systems are not sealed. They are essentially comprised of large pipes butted together with no sealant between pipe joints. Chemicals can and do leak from sewer lines into brooks, rivers, ponds, and lakes. And, of course, into the groundwater.

Improperly disposed of chemicals could easily seep into the Ipswich River which supplies drinking water for many of the communities on the North Shore.

In 1985 it was discovered that solvent had leaked from underground storage tanks at Bostik Inc. in Middleton, contaminating the groundwater and river. The company had to build a $2 million water treatment plant to contain the pollution. It costs $100,000 a year to operate the treatment plant.

In 1998 Well A2 in Woburn's south end was closed when 0.5 parts per billion TCE was found in a routine test. Officials believe the chemical came from a sewer line which runs from Burlington, along the East side of Horn Pond, and into Winchester, eventually emptying at Deer Island in Boston Harbor.

While large companies are typically blamed for being the primary polluters of the air and water, that isn't always the case.

Homeowners and apartment dwellers happily dump a variety of chemicals and detergents down the drain, some of which should never be introduced into the groundwater.

Paint thinner, varnish, and other left over chemicals from house projects have been dumped on the ground or down the drain by individuals, much in the same manner employees at W. R. Grace in Woburn dumped small amounts of chemicals onto the ground behind the plant. Some people change the oil in their cars and dump the oil.

Some people use gasoline to clean parts when they make their own repairs on their car. The soiled gasoline is dumped on the ground, or down the drain, eventually entering the groundwater, streams, ponds etc. Gasoline contains a number of hazardous chemicals. It should be disposed of in a proper manner just like any other hazardous chemical.

None of these chemicals should be improperly disposed of. Any of them could reach local water wells or streams, or the Ipswich River.

Sometimes the pollution of our drinking water happens by accident.

In 1992 a gasoline tanker truck was involved in an accident on Rte. I-93 in Reading. The resultant spill closed six of the town's nine wells.

Most of them are back on line now, but that kind of accident can happen anywhere.

At Unifirst Corporation on Olympia Avenue in Woburn, it was an accident which caused the pollution. The firm dry cleaned uniforms. A tanker was making a delivery of PERC for the company and the connection between the tanker's hose and the intake valve for the company's storage tank was improperly made. Several hundred gallons of PERC leaked into the ground, getting into the groundwater.

Of all the plumes of pollution in East Woburn, this had the highest concentration of PERC. An EPA investigator described the concentrations of PERC in the groundwater as nearly "pure product"

When I was drilling wells in the late 1960s, most drillers believed "10 feet of sand will filter anything."

Unfortunately, that's not true.

Homeowners who have wells and a septic tank should use special care they do not poison themselves.

They should not dump any chemicals into their sinks, because the odds of the chemicals ending up in their drinking water wells are very high.

The only thing that can keep the drinking water clean is awareness and vigilance on the part of everyone.

You can't rely on the government to stop all illegal dumping. If you observe suspicious activity, or improper waste disposal you should call local authorities.

Ultimately, your health and safety are up to you.

That is the most important lesson the residents of Woburn learned.