Groundwater safety at risk in rail merger
A serious consequence of Canadian National's proposed purchase of the EJ&E that has not received the deserved attention is the potential for contaminating our water supply.
The Barrington Area Council of Governments has spent several years researching shallow aquifers, the underground layers of rock, gravel or sand from which groundwater can be extracted by a well. Our lives depend on protecting our wells since groundwater is our only water supply.
The Villages of Barrington and Tower Lakes have public wells and supplies, but the other BACOG towns have private supplies. All these wells get water from the same interconnected shallow aquifer system.
There are about 800 private backyard wells within just one mile of the EJ&E. In the 80 square miles of BACOG, we have an estimated 6,000-8,000 wells - sharing the same groundwater. With few exceptions, there is no infrastructure in place to distribute water from a different source.
Hazardous materials spills occur with regularity and frequency and CN's safety record, which is under attack by its own government, cannot be trusted. The draft Environmental Impact Statement released by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board acknowledges the potential for an increase in hazmat spills, but states "the likelihood of a release would still be remote, less than once every year." That's one too many.
The wells here are shallow - from well under 100 feet to several hundred feet below ground surface. Shallow wells are particularly vulnerable to contamination.
There are real concerns:
• Hazmat spills which may seep directly into the aquifers
• Stormwater carrying contaminants to recharge areas where they can seep into the aquifers
• Contamination moving between aquifers because of groundwater flow
The water supply limitations in most communities along the EJ&E mandate better data collection, measurements, modeling and analysis to define the vulnerabilities of the aquifer system.
Furthermore, the innovations of BACOG-area conservation planning would be compromised by noise, vibrations and emissions. Threatened and endangered species, wildlife and habitat, already frail, could succumb entirely from cumulative impacts.
The EIS is significantly flawed. We at BACOG are committed to making sure the final EIS takes these concerns seriously.
Janet L. Agnoletti, executive director Barrington Area Council of Governments