The Cost Of Cleanup

By Gordon HopkinsTwo previously unrelated environmental crises for the City of Fairbury, asbestos in the power plant and nitrates in the drinking water, have now intersected.On Tuesday, December 6, 2022, the Fairbury City Council voted to create a Water Sourcing Committee. The purpose of the committee is to locate a source of drinking water with a lower concentration of nitrates. Fairbury’s current water source, the East Wells, have consistently tested in the higher range for nitrates, meaning greater than seven ppm (parts per million) but less than 10 ppm, over the past several years.The maximum level of nitrates allowed by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is 10 ppm. According to the EPA, “If a nitrate test shows levels higher than 10 ppm, you should find a safe alternative drinking water supply.”The East Wells consists of three wells. If one of those wells, tests higher than 10 ppm, which has happened, then the water is blended with water from one of the other wells to bring the nitrate level down. The most recent test of the water was reported on February 28, 2024 and shows East Wells One and Three together have a nitrate level of 8.87 ppm. The report provided by the city does not indicate nitrate levels of each well individually.The city does have another well field at Crystal Springs. However, that well field has been offline since 2021 due to biofilm contamination. The Water Sourcing Committee is currently working on cleaning up the Crystal Springs well field to get it running once again. The intention is to blend that water with water from the East Wells to further reduce overall nitrate levels.The most recent test of water from the Crystal Springs well field shows the nitrate level at 6.73 ppm. Power PlantHowever, before the Crystal Springs well field can provide water to the city, another matter must be addressed. The reservoir pumps for Crystal Springs are located in the basement of the defunct municipal power plant, which is contaminated with asbestos.An Asbestos Inspection Survey was completed on February 17, 2023. That report shows friable (meaning easily crumbled or reduced to a powder that can be inhaled) asbestos throughout the building.Asbestos has been linked to numerous lung diseases, including cancer, and the contamination is such that the NDEE (Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy) requires that no one enter the building without a respirator. Unknown CostsIn order to use the Crystal Springs water, the city will either have to use the pumps in the power plant, which would mean cleaning up the asbestos, or building a new pump house.City Councilperson Brian Schmidt is chair of the Water Sourcing Committee. When asked which the city would do, Schmidt told FJN, “You’ve got the cart in front of the horse. We need to prove the water at Crystal is good before we worry about the high service pumps. There have been no plans drawn up or really even discussed as of now.”FJN asked the same question of Fairbury Mayor Spencer Brown. Regarding the cost of cleaning up the power plant, the mayor said, “There are different levels of cleanup, but for a complete remediation of all the asbestos it’s estimated to be almost a million dollars.”When asked the source of the estimate, “ almost a million dollars,” the mayor said, “It was a number thrown out by an asbestos contractor. It is not a bid, quote or anywhere near scientific. Just a ballpark estimate.”Mayor Brown suggested a cheaper alternative would be cleaning up just a portion of the power plant, “where the pumps are located can be isolated from the rest of the building (and cleaned of asbestos).”Regarding the building of a new pump house, the mayor said, “ I believe the pumps inside the power plant are from the 1960’s so they have considerable age on them, so more for reliability sake, we would look at building a new pump house with new pumps and technology.”The mayor could not say what a new pump house would cost, “At this point we are still a long way off from putting crystal back online, this is all very subject to change,” adding, “None of that has been researched yet.”It should be noted that, even if the city chooses to build a new pump house, the power plant will still need to be cleaned of asbestos at some point.

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