ANDOVER – Discussion at a neighborhood meeting this week will center on contamination of some domestic water wells in the Easter Addition and follow-up activities to be considered.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, in conjunction with NuStar Energy, LP, will host the meeting at the Andover Public Library, 1511 E. Central Ave., at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26.
On Jan. 5, KDHE responded to a report of a petroleum-like odor in a domestic water well in the Easter Addition neighborhood near Andover.
After investigating the initial report and collecting water samples, KDHE and NuStar undertook a neighborhood-wide domestic well sampling program, attempting to collect samples from each neighborhood home.
Results of the investigation indicate the contamination is localized and only impacts some private groundwater wells in the Easter Addition. Andover’s water, which is obtained from the city of Wichita, is not affected.
All residences were offered bottled water service as a short-term solution, with whole-home carbon treatment system installation (at NuStar’s expense) upon laboratory confirmation that contaminant concentrations exceeded federal drinking water standards.
Some whole-home treatment systems were presumptively installed based on field screening. Sample results indicated benzene and other petroleum hydrocarbon-related contaminants in some wells at concentrations above the applicable drinking water standards.
The public forum on Thursday is an opportunity for affected residents to receive information about the testing and ask questions.