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Concerns of vapor intrusion in the Valley Pike neighborhood are more serious and widespread — causing Environmental Protection Agency officials to expand the testing area and extend the deadline for sampling.
The EPA has again expanded the area of concern farther west to Sagamore Avenue in Riverside, and the investigation now impacts approximately 500 homes, according to Steve Renninger, on-scene coordinator for the EPA’s Region 5 in Cincinnati.
Residents now have until March 30, 2015, to turn in a signed access agreement to have the EPA collect air samples from their home to help determine how serious vapor intrusion is in the neighborhood.
In July, the sampling expanded to the Forest Home Avenue, Prince Albert Boulevard, Broadmead Boulevard and Warrendale Avenue areas. The area of concern was initially bordered by Guernsey Dell Avenue, Minnesota Drive, Hypathia Avenue, Rohrer Boulevard and Valley Pike.
The contamination is moving southwest, parallel to Valley Pike, Renninger said.
“We’ve expanded two times based on sub-slab and indoor air readings,” he said. “We continue to see elevated readings in a number of homes. That’s really the basis for expanding the area.”
Renninger said a public meeting is expected to be scheduled this winter. In the two previous public meetings, residents raised concerns, mostly about their health and property values.
Sampling takes 24 hours, and it takes three weeks to get the results back, Renninger has said. He said the EPA also will be in contact with residents for a resampling.
The sampling and mitigation installation are at no cost to the homeowner. It costs the EPA $1,000 for the sampling and $5,000 to install the mitigation system. A mitigation system costs a homeowner about $75 a year in electric expenses, Renninger has said.
The fan in the mitigation system comes with a five-year warranty, and the homeowner is responsible for any repairs once the warranty expires.
Nearly 300 homes have been sampled, and approximately 80 met the criteria for a mitigation system. Seventy-three systems have been installed.
Renninger said the EPA continues to investigate the source of contamination, and “hopefully this winter we’ll have more of an answer.” He previously said the source likely is located about 800 to 1,000 feet east of Hypathia Avenue.
Riverside Deputy Mayor Steve Fullenkamp said City Council will likely invite Renninger to a council meeting after the first of the year to provide an update.
“They’re being driven by data,” Fullenkamp said. “They want to be cautious and make sure they include everyone who possibly could be in that plume. They know these things move.”
Vickie White, who lives on Sagamore Avenue, said she received a flyer in the mail last week from the EPA. She said the EPA has been testing the groundwater in her backyard.
White, who’s lived in the neighborhood her entire life, said she could not afford the increase in her electricity bill if a mitigation system were installed in her home. She’s more concerned for her grandchildren, who live nearby.
“It’s either live here the rest of my life or move,” White said. “At this point in time, I can’t afford to move anywhere.”
The drinking water is not impacted by the site conditions, according to the EPA. The drinking water comes from the city of Dayton’s public water supply.
Health officials previously advised residents who have a private water well to no longer consume the water because there could be the potential of cross-contamination with home plumbing.
An investigation started last summer after the EPA conducted groundwater sampling in the area and discovered an above screening level presence of TCE (Trichloroethylene) and PCE (Tetrachloroethylene).
Symptoms of breathing high levels of TCE and PCE include headaches; dizziness; liver, kidney and immune system issues; effects to reproductive and respiratory systems; nausea; cancer in animals and possibly humans; and in some cases, death.
Vapor intrusion occurs when underground pollutants give off dangerous gases that can rise up through the soil and seep into buildings through foundation cracks and holes, causing unsafe indoor air pollution, according to the EPA.
The EPA has a local office at 2049 Harshman Road that is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Scheduling for sampling and mitigation installment is done at the office, which can be reached by calling 937-237-7530.
The office will be closed Thursday and Friday of this week due to Thanksgiving. The schedule around Christmas and New Year’s Day has yet to be determined, Renninger said.
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