Campus’ drinking water safe;
DER officials assure
By Jerry Trently
Capitol Campus’ water is safe
to drink, according to Depart
ment of Environmental Resources
(DER) Secretary, Nicholas
Deßenedictis.
“Everyone would want
this figure to diminish
to zero.... But the water
Is certainly safe.”
Dave Mashek
Deputy Press Secretary,
DER
Deßenedictis told a contingent
of reporters at an October 31
press conference that con
taminants believed to be fouling
water at the Harrisburg Interna
tional Airport (HIA) are not af
fecting water pumped from there
Times
Published by students of Penn State University, Capitol Campus
$98,000 proposal lifts hopes for new elevator
By Tony G. Pei
Help is on the way for the han
dicapped and mobility-impaired
students of Capitol Campus.
University Park has agreed to
fund a $98,000 project to replace
the freight elevator in the
Olmsted building.
According to Joseph Kemp,
Manager of Maintenance and
Utilities Operations, a combina
tion passenger/freight elevator is
currently being designed to
replace the existing elevator.
Work should begin on the struc
ture by next summer, and will
take in “excess of 30 days” to
complete, Kemp said.
Kemp said a proposal for the
change was sent to University
Park last Spring.
The new vehicle will be design
ed to fit the existing shaft and the
work will be done by an indepen
dent contractor.
Presently, the existing freight
to the Capitol Campus.
Of eleven wells used by the air
port, seven are currently shut
down voluntarily as a precau
tionary measure, while four re
maining wells continue to pump
about one million gallons of
water a day.
“These wells are supplying
quality water to meet the airport
and Pennsylvania State University
extension campus needs, but there
is little surplus,” said Deputy
Transportation Secretary Donald
Bryan through a DER press
release.
' Should these wells become en
dangered, three wells located
away from the airport and cur
rently capped, could be con
sidered possible new sources, a
DER spokesman said.
The organic solvent
trichloroethylene (TCE) was first
discovered in wells at the airport
last March when a reading of 93
ppb was recorded. The abbrevia
tion “ppb” stands for “parts per
billion” and relates to an amount
of drops of TCE to a billion
elevator is the only means of
transportation available for
mobility-impaired students to
reach the second and third floors
and the basement level of the
building. Users of the elevator
Department of Environmental Resources Secretary Nicholas Deßenedictis answers reporters'
questions on TCE contamination during an October 31 press conference.
drops of water.
The DER’s Deputy Press
Secretary David Mashek said the
level was reduced to 13 ppb after
water from all the wells was mix
ed together, but that a nearby
well soon became contaminated,
resulting in the closings.
Thursday,
November 17,
Vol. 18., No. 3
have complained about the vehi
cle. The “close” button must be
held down until the large doors
close completely for the elevator
to become operational.
“People have been really
Photo by Jeffrey G. Shatter
Water from the four wells cur
rently operating is mixed together
and pumped through the distribu
tion system to delivery points in
cluding the Capitol Campus,
Mashek said.
Manager of Maintenance and
Utilities Operations at Capitol
Campus Joseph Kemp said the
DER tests campus’ water every
month and relays the test results
to him.
The HIA Authority also con
ducts a monthly test on campus’
water.
Mashek said September’s test
results yeilded. a reading of 1.5
ppb. Results from an October test
by the DER were unable to be
Please see “CONTAMINA
TION,” pg. 3
careless with the elevator,” said
Dr. Stanley Miller, Acting Pro
vost/Dean. Miller noted that on
at least one occasion he has had
to go to other floors to “find the
elevator” when someone has left
the doors open.
A Pennsylvania Department of
Labor and Industry test was per
formed on a Thursday because
there is a “lower demand” for
the elevator on that day, accor
ding to Dr. Jerry South, Director
of Student Affairs.
The test, which was conducted
by an outside firm, rendered the
elevator unuseable for that day.
And, although this may have
hindered those mobility-impaired
students who would otherwise use
the elevator on Thursdays, the
test was required by the Penn
sylvania Department of Labor
and Industry.
Please see “ELEVATOR,”
pg. 4
Photo by Jerry Trentl