According to Pima County Library, the Valencia branch at 202 W. Valencia Road is the new home for all repository information, technical reports and reference materials about the industrial solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) and the 1, 4 dioxane issue from the Tucson International Airport Superfund site. The materials were previously at the El Pueblo branch library.

To increase awareness about clean water, the Valencia branch is hosting special storytimes and an information table staffed by a Pima County Public Health nurse from the Pima County Department of Health. These programs are free and open to everyone:

Family Storytime — Tuesday, June 24, 6 pm

Preschool Storytime — Wednesday, June 25, 10:30 am

Clean Water Information Table — Wednesday, June 25, 3-5 pm

From the Pima County Library press release:

From 1950 to 1980, it was discovered that soil and groundwater in a ten square mile area on the south side of Tucson had been contaminated with chemicals like the industrial solvent tricholorethylene (TCE) and 1, 4 dioxane that caused serious health problems for residents and workers exposed to the water. In response, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added the Tucson International Airport Superfund Site to its cleanup list in 1983. The Unified Community Advisory Board (UCAB) was formed in 1995 by members of the affected community to learn about the cleanup process and advise agencies responsible for the cleanup.



In partnership with the EPA and the UCAB, the Valencia Library, 202 W. Valencia Rd., is the new location for the repository of information, technical reports, and reference materials about the TCE and the 1, 4 dioxane issue. To increase awareness about clean water, the Valencia Library is hosting special Storytimes and an information table staffed by a Public Health Nurse from the Pima County Department of Health. These programs are free and open to the public.



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The El Pueblo Library housed the information for several years, but the larger Valencia Library facility will allow more people to access information. Sarah Cafasso, a Community Involvement Coordinator for the EPA, explained: “By providing the public with greater access to these records, it is our hope that they will be better equipped to comment constructively on site activities and to understand the issues relating to the selection of the response action at the site.”http://posting.tucsonweekly.com/foundation/images/buttons/formatting/quote.gif



Community members are welcome to attend UCAB’s quarterly meetings to receive updates about cleanup operations and to provide feedback. The next meeting is Wednesday, July 16, 5:45 pm, El Pueblo Senior Center, 101 W. Irvington Rd. For more information, contact Sarah Cafasso at (415) 972-3076 or cafasso.sarah@epa.gov or UCAB Community Co-Chair Yolanda Herrera at acuinteriors@aol.com.