Jenni Zackeo

B2

Letter to Marion Town Council

10/18/16

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Dear Marion Town Council,

Water in your town has been contaminated. My team and I have been able to
locate the source, and the source of contamination is coming from Jakes Fertilizer
Plant. *
Our concern was originally sparked when it was found that Cadillac Ranch has a
potentially toxic compound at a level of 25 ppb, the background level for this compound
is 0-10 ppb. Local business like Daves Chemical Co, Nates Pipeline, and Jakes
Fertilizer Plant were also tested. The results are shown as followed. The chemical plant
has a level of 25 ppb, Nates Pipeline has a background level, and the fertilizer plant
has a level of 200 ppb. This shows that Jakes Fertilizer Plant had the highest levels of
the toxic compound. To validate our research even further I tested a couple more wells.
One of these wells was northwest of the fertilizer plant. This well had background levels
of the compound, proving that the contamination did not come from a source north of
the plant. To prove even further that the fertilizer plant is the source of the water
contamination , there are a few more wells that were tested. The only area in Marion
with levels of 50 ppb are directly south of the fertilizer plant, and it is diluted as it travels
closer to the borders shown on the attached map. Areas closest to borders have
background levels of the compound, 0-10 ppb.

To clean up the toxic compound I suggest using phytoremediation.

Phytoremediation is a process that using multiple types of plants to destroy, transfer or
stabilize the contaminant. There are several types of Phytoremediation. A few of them
could help the toxic compound found in Marion. The first type is phytostabilization. In
this process the chemicals released by the plant immobilize the the contaminants. This
type of phytoremediation may not be the best because it immobilizes the compound
instead of getting rid of it entirely. Phyto-accumulation also known as phyto-extraction is
the second possible type. In this method the plant roots absorb the contaminants and
water. The toxic compound is not destroyed but instead located in the plants shoots and
roots. The last method is phyto-degradation, this is where the plants metabolize and are
able to degrade the compound within the plant tissues. I suggest to use the
phyto-degradation method of phytoremediation and destroy the toxic compound all
together.

Jenni Zackeo

B2

Letter to Marion Town Council

10/18/16

There are three main reasons why the cleanup should use phytoremediation
methods. The first is it is a low cost process. This saves the town money whilst taking
care of the problem. The second is can take place of a mechanical cleanup and uses
solar power. If a mechanical cleanup was used the process would pollute the air,
something that will not occur with phytoremediation. The third and final reason
phytoremediation should be used is it is all natural. Using this method will not release
any more toxins into the groundwater, as the method uses natural process to break
down the toxic compounds.
Removing the compound using mechanical methods is like fighting fire with fire.
It will just result in a larger issue.
Attached is a map with the level of contamination at 31 wells, including Cadillac
Ranch, and 3 spots tested alongside the river. Please note that the pink line shows the
plume of 50 ppb contamination and the blue shows 25 ppb contamination.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Jenni Zackeo