Mead Village board chair Bill Thorson said the state’s department of environment and energy looked at eight testing water wells, searching for any concentrations of pesticides from AltEn.” say they strategically locate them in where they feel the path of water would flow,” said Thorson. Thorson said two of those wells, southwest and southeast of the plant, had 17 of the 76 tested pesticides and were beyond the EPA’s threshold for safe drinking water.Jody Weible’s home sits just northwest of the former AltEn plant. “I think it’s probably the worst news we could’ve gotten,” Weible said.She’s been concerned with the issues ever since the plant shut down and how it is impacted Mead and surrounding communities.”I want to know if they can’t spot-pump that area,” Weible said.Creighton University professor John Schalles studied the results. He said Mead should be safe because the water flows south and the town is north of the plant.”Within years to decades, a fairly significant area of eastern and southeastern of Saunders County could be affected by this contamination,” Schalles said.Schalles said the Todd Valley aquifer in Saunders County is vast. He said it could be expensive and time-consuming to clear out any contamination from the groundwater that could impact the aquifer.”First, you have to get to it and it spreads out,” Schalles said.Thorson said the Nebraska Environment and Energy Dept.’s next step is to remove the water from the west Lagoon on site.”They don’t have an exact timeline,” Thorson said.Even though Mead’s water should be safe, Weible still worries about the pile of contaminated byproduct that remains at AltEn. Weible said she’ll continue to work with DEE and anyone who will help clean up the mess at the former AltEn plant.”I understand the water is a priority, because that can do major damage quicker,” Weible said. “But I don’t understand, and I probably won’t, why they can’t be working on the 84,000 tons of stuff sitting on the ground.”

Mead Village board chair Bill Thorson said the state’s department of environment and energy looked at eight testing water wells, searching for any concentrations of pesticides from AltEn.

“[NDEE] say they strategically locate them in where they feel the path of water would flow,” said Thorson.

Thorson said two of those wells, southwest and southeast of the plant, had 17 of the 76 tested pesticides and were beyond the EPA’s threshold for safe drinking water.

Jody Weible’s home sits just northwest of the former AltEn plant.

“I think it’s probably the worst news we could’ve gotten,” Weible said.

She’s been concerned with the issues ever since the plant shut down and how it is impacted Mead and surrounding communities.

“I want to know if they can’t spot-pump that area,” Weible said.

Creighton University professor John Schalles studied the results. He said Mead should be safe because the water flows south and the town is north of the plant.

“Within years to decades, a fairly significant area of eastern and southeastern of Saunders County could be affected by this contamination,” Schalles said.

Schalles said the Todd Valley aquifer in Saunders County is vast. He said it could be expensive and time-consuming to clear out any contamination from the groundwater that could impact the aquifer.

“First, you have to get to it and it spreads out,” Schalles said.

Thorson said the Nebraska Environment and Energy Dept.’s next step is to remove the water from the west Lagoon on site.

“They don’t have an exact timeline,” Thorson said.

Even though Mead’s water should be safe, Weible still worries about the pile of contaminated byproduct that remains at AltEn. Weible said she’ll continue to work with DEE and anyone who will help clean up the mess at the former AltEn plant.

“I understand the water is a priority, because that can do major damage quicker,” Weible said. “But I don’t understand, and I probably won’t, why they can’t be working on the 84,000 tons of stuff sitting on the ground.”

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