WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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The Griffy Water Treatment Plant was built in 1925 to provide water to the city of Bloomington. The plant collected water from Griffy Lake and was treated to become safe drinking water for the community. The plant later closed in 1996, when Bloomington’s population outgrew the size of Griffy Lake’s reservoir. The building has been sitting abandoned since.
In 2019 the Indiana Daily Student reported “the Griffy Water Treatment Plant was decommissioned for 23 years but is costing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in cleanup because of mercury released by trespassers”.
The City of Bloomington Utilities discovered mercury contamination at the site, first in 2017. Along with mercury, the site has also been known to contain asbestos and P-C-B contaminates. James Hall is the Assistant Director of Environmental Programs at the Bloomington Utilities Department. He said mercury contamination is most likely due to vandalism.
Hall said, today, there is still mercury contamination on concrete surfaces in the building, and in the soil around the building. He said no mercury is leaking from the plant and the contaminates in the soil are stable in the ground.
In July of 2018 the City of Bloomington Utilities implemented strict security at the treatment plant site. The city’s news release from the time of implementation reads “According to the World Health Organization, exposure to mercury – even small amounts – may cause serious health problems, particularly in utero and early in life. Mercury may have toxic effects on the nervous, digestive, and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin, and eyes. The public is urged to stay away from the Griffy facility to protect their health. Trespassers on the Griffy Plant property may be subject to arrest and hazardous material decontamination procedures.”.
Therefore, keeping the public out of the plant is for their own safety and a speedy cleanup. Hall spoke about some of the security enforcement.
There is a strong enforcement to keep community members out due to health risks, but Hall claimed there are no serious environmental impacts. However, soil contaminated by mercury could grow vegetation to be eaten by animals, which then has potential to enter the food chain causing ecosystem contamination.
Hall said the city is working with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the Environmental Protection Agency on the federal level to clean up the contamination.
Hall said all contaminated soil will be dug out and shipped to the appropriate hazardous waste disposal facilities. The city is also working to dispose of P-C-B contaminates in the plant.
Hall said the specificity of contamination will determine where certain parts of the plant will be sent for their appropriate disposal processes.
Hall said the city plans to return healthy soil to the area and plant native vegetation, once demolition is complete. He said the city will also maintain ownership of the water treatment plant property.
Hall said unless the city sees a fire suppression emergency the space is to remain lush with native vegetation and contaminate free.
