In April of 1995, evidence of TCE, or trichloroethylene, was found in Edinboro’s water supply. TCE is used for the degreasing of metal and for dry cleaning. TCE is a man made, clear, colorless, watery, liquid with a chloroform like odor. When it pollutes the ground water of urban areas, it becomes unsuitable to drink. The people from the Borough Municipal Building looked into the situation as quickly as they possibly could. Right away weekly testing was started. The next year they moved to monthly testing, which was $200 per test and now they are checking the water for quarterly testing. To test the water, they perform a TCE check on each of their two wells, well one and well two. They keep an accurate up-to-date report on the TCE levels. To help solve the problem the Borough built an aeration, or stripping tower which removes ninety-nine percent of dissolved gases, such as organic solvents from the water. The total cost of the tower came to $333,000.00, see table for individual prices.

The aeration tower is found on Edinboro University’s main campus. Although the tower is found on the college’s premises, the college does not pay extra for the tower and the land is leased by the Borough. There are well pumps and pipes that move the water through the town. Once in the tower there are separators with holes on the tops of them. The separators look some what like wiffle balls and they need to be cleaned occasionally. When the water contains too much iron and manganese the separators dirty quickly. The air and water are run in a counter current over a loose layer of dumped packing, or the separators. Throughout the packing are well wipers, which redirect any wall flow back toward the center of the tower. The water is then mixed clean air from a blower, and the TCE moves out of the water and into the clean air passing upward through the tower. That clean water is then collected at the base of the tower and the air is then distributed into the atmosphere. The treated water leaves the tower and passes through to a holding tank where it is then stored. The tower can pump 10,000 gallons of water with in minutes.

After the water has been treated it is pumped to the water tank on Dunden Road. The silver tank is twenty feet deep into the ground and was built in 1976.

The TCE problem was thought, years ago, to have come from the dry cleaners. Yet, the dry cleaner’s water has been checked, and has come out clean. When asked about it the dry cleaner reported that the TCE was hauled out after use which would explain the clean water.

We know that a law suit has been placed on Penn Union by the Borough, and that the Borough has hired a lawyer. When asked the Borough could not say more because a Gag order has been placed on them.

We contacted Penn Union, by telephone on February 28, 2001, and were denied an interview because "It was not appropriate at the time."

Nicole Rafle

Jessie Mulholland

Lauren Stonis