Byhalia to supply water to homes with contaminated wells

Mayor Don Hollingsworth of the town of Byhalia said the solution to residents who have contaminated well water will be to supply them with town water.

This is the long-term solution, he said.

The homes who have been found to have the industrial contaminant Trichloroethylene (CTE) in their shallow wells are located about two miles from the town’s elevated water tank at the cemetery.

The mayor said the discovery of CTE in private wells was made by a young couple with children who moved to the area.

He said the wife was not from the country and wanted the water tested.

“It came back with 1,500 ppb (parts per billion) and the ceiling (set by the Environmental Protection Agency) is 5 ppb,” Hollingsworth said. “EPA came and started testing her ground water well and found it to be high.”

He said EPA put a water filter on the homeowner’s well and the water still came out of the filter at 1,000 ppb.

“So, they started testing the neighborhood,” Hollingsworth said.

The area of the contamination is located in the Fairview subdivision on the Marshall County side and Patriot Way subdivision in DeSoto County.

The shallow wells in the subdivision run from about 150 feet to 200 feet deep. The town well draws water from deeper water sources around 1,100 feet deep.

Meanwhile, EPA is trying to find the point source of CTE and is concerned about the contamination going deeper.

“It’s got the attention of everybody in Jackson,” Hollingsworth said.

“EPA contacted me, supervisor Terry Rodgers and

Jessie Medlin, DeSoto County supervisor,” the mayor said. “EPA sent a crew in and a group from MDEQ (Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality) in Jackson.

“So when they called us and the Lewisburg Water Association in DeSoto County, the closest certificated area, they found the town of Lewisburg did not service this particular area.

“I came in and said, y’all are looking at a temporary solution putting in filters and bottled water. So, I contacted the Mississippi State Board of Health and Byhalia agreed to serve the area.”

He said Lewisburg didn’t have enough capacity to run water to the area.

“So, we agreed to do it,” he said.

Byhalia is in contact with the local delegation in Jackson and in the Congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., to find about $2 million to extend Byhalia’s water to the areas where contamination has been found.

The source of the CTE has not been identified, Hollingsworth said.

He counted 288 people who attended the Thursday night meeting March 5 where the EPA and MDEQ and a medical doctor answered questions regarding the situation.

“You had people complaining about all kinds of side issues,” the mayor said. “The majority of the people were concerned about their water. At the end, I talked about solutions.

“I’ve been doing this for 50 years. I ran the system to Lake Center and my last one to Citizen’s Bank at Victoria, so I put in several water systems (while working at the Holly Springs Utility Department).

“I’ve got to look at the long term. Kids can’t be drinking water out of faucets and water hoses. We are looking at the long term solution for these residents.”

Hollingsworth said a number of local residents have had their water tested and everything came back negative for CTE.

Background on TCE

• The main industrial use for TCE is for degreasing oil and wax from metal surfaces before coating, painting or welding.

• Intermediate use of TCE has been in adhesive formulations as a paint stripper.

• EPA is phasing TCE out due to severe health risks.

• Safer and cheaper products are now available as alternatives. Stricter regulations have caused TCE use to decline.

• Health risks from TCE contaminated drinking water over many years can cause liver problems and increased risk of liver and kidney cancer.

• It has been reported that TCE may possibly be associated with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and impaired fetal growth.

• In 2024, EPA issued a final rule banning the manufacture or import of TCE for processing and distribution for commerce for all uses.

• Stringent worker protections were issued for some processing and industrial and commercial uses of CTE.

• The EPA rule will protect consumers, workers, occupational users and bystanders.

• TCE is a colorless, nonflammable liquid with a characteristic odor like chloroform.

•TCE is mostly insoluble in water and evaporates quickly.

•TCE has been used for degreasing metal parts in automotive and metal industries.

• Most workplace exposure to TCE is through breathing vapors or through direct contact with the liquid.

• CTE is detected very low concentrations in many drinking water samples from throughout the United States. It is also found in low concentrations in processed foods as the result of cleaning equipment.

• EPA banned TCE from manufacture in 2024 and most uses will be prohibited by 2025.

Inhaling high concentrations of vapors can cause irregular heartbeat, heart function failure, unconsciousness and death.