Posted
3/22/2008 12:17:00 PM
by Douglas
There's something about a "Happy" superfund site that just don't
sound right.The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed that land over a plume of underground contamination beneath downtown Happy be designated a Superfund site, which would allow the agency to clean the pollution and track down its cause.
Crews battling a 1962 fire at the Attebury Grain Storage Facility in downtown Happy inadvertently polluted the Ogallala Aquifer with several chemicals common in fire extinguishers, according to the agency.
The contaminants spread to several public and private wells, leading to the closure of one city water source in 1991 and failed drinking-water standards at several other wells, according to the agency.
Toxic groundwater? I think Happy isn't as happy as it sounds. It may be the "town without a frown," but kidney, liver and nervous system damage isn't an acceptable alternative.