Mercury goes nowhere for now
By:Laura Toto
The Township Committee was expected Wednesday night to hire an environmental consultant to help it address concerns related to the 2,615 metric tons of mercury stored at the Somerville Depot.
Public agitation about the depot increased when more mercury was brought to the storage facility in early November and Deputy Mayor Christine Jensen reported finding that mercury had escaped from a flask inside the cement building. The depot is located on Route 206 in Hillsborough.
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See also: Mercury goes nowhere for now Mayor: Get the mercury out (Dec. 7) Officials say minimal risk from 200 tons of mercury (Nov. 30) |
The consultant, Environmental Alliance Inc. of Wilmington, Del., would assist Health Officer Glen Belnay in reviewing the federal government’s assessment of the site and help Hillsborough to determine its next step.The consultant would be paid $110 per hour and work no more than 90 hours as stated on the Township Committee agenda.
Dr. Belnay was not available for comment.
The depots, established by the federal government during World War II, have stored mercury since the 1940s so that if foreign supplies were cut off, the United States would still have a source of available mercury.
About 210 metric tons of mercury was added recently to the 2,405 metric tons already contained at the Hillsborough site after the national Defense Stockpile Center decided to close down its Binghamton, N.Y., depot.
"Hillsborough Township decided they needed a consultant to work with Glen Belnay," Deputy Mayor Christine Jensen said Tuesday.
"The federal government is in the process of completing the site assessment," she said. The New York-based Parsons Engineering and Science Inc. will complete the site assessment for the federal government.
Ms. Jensen said Hillsborough’s consultant would act as a "third-party advocate" working specifically for Hillsborough.
The consultant also will work with officials to establish on-site monitoring procedures and to complete well-testing, said Ms. Jensen said.
The federal government will pay for extensive testing of 30 residential wells around the Somerville Depot for contamination from copper, lead, barium and antimony, among other substances.
Health effects from mercury poisoning include tremors, changes in vision or hearing, weakness, memory problems, headaches and nervousness.
John Reinders, a spokesman for the Defense National Stockpile Center, said there is no reason to believe there have been any leaks of mercury from the Somerville Depot.
"While residual mercury can, in fact, be found on some mercury storage containers and pallets, this situation does not represent leaking storage containers," Mr. Reinders said in a statement.