Well drilling near former zinc plant to proceed

Well drilling near the former New Jersey Zinc East Plant will go ahead as planned, despite voiced concerns from Palmerton officials wary of possible public water contamination.

Drilling is part of the fourth and final phase of remediation for a United States Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site in the borough, where the Zinc Company is said to have dumped 33 million tons of heavy metal waste.

The phase, which will also consist of surface water testing and soil collection, will determine how far, if at all, that pollution may have seeped into the ground beneath.

In October, both Palmerton’s borough council and municipal authority stated publicly that they were opposed to the drilling. It’s too close to public wells, they protested, and could contaminate the water supply.

Still, the party responsible for leading remediation — CBS Corporation — will soon apply for permits to conduct the drilling, and Palmerton can’t deny them, its manager, Donna McGarry, said Thursday night.

In an October email to the Times News, Terri White, chief of EPA’s regional communications office, said the company would have to address any possible contamination that might occur. If it failed to act in a timely manner, EPA would step in and conduct and an emergency cleanup, White added.

McGarry said the drilling is anticipated to take place in midwinter or early spring.