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500K 10 in the drinking water. Because the City had only one water treatment plant, it could be assumed that water supplied to other parts of the city and parts of the county may have been similarly contaminated during that period for an unknown length of time. A small, but critical area of the county was affected: Mueller Center of Indian River Community College and also the Tropicolony Subdivision. A local newspaper in June 1979 reported that City officials were admitting that some water contaminated with TCE did reach some residences and businesses. They acknowledged they did not know how long the substance leaked from the tank before its closure. A letter from Department of Environmental Regulation (DER) to the City's Water & Sewer (W & S) Department determined that the maximum contaminant level allowable for TCE in the local supply exceeded criteria stated in the Federal Register. In June 1979 the Manager of the W&S Department wrote Dr. Wang expressing his appreciation for the identification of TCE in the City's water supply and further stated that Dr. Wang's communication led to the discovery at Piper of an underground tank leaking TCE. He quoted portions of a letter of March 1981 from the General Manager of Piper to the Vero Beach City Manager which stated that it was imperative to take all necessary steps to stop any further infiltration of TCE into the City of Vero Beach wells. Mr. Turner noted that three years had elapsed from the first notice; concluding that a health hazard was present during that period would be quite logical. At a meeting in March 1981, the City Manager discussed the fact that the City had its whole water supply in jeopardy and were running tremendous risks with the water supply. Mr. Turner was amazed that in discussing this with City officials (who were there during those years), none were aware of any health study conducted at the time of the initial spill or to this day. Local health officials have not concerned themselves with the initial spill. Mr. Turner felt it vital that the City and County conduct a study going back to 1978 to determine the possibility that citizens living today may have or eventually could become victims of cancer from the exposure to the TCE contaminated drinking water during that period. Mr. Turner stated he did not advocate vast amounts of tax dollars be used for the investigation. He believed an accounting should be compiled to determine how much Piper did contribute to the cleanup from 1978 to the present. He believed that Piper should bear the full costs of any such investigation. From an analysis provided by the Manager of Environmental and Plant Operations, he was convinced that city water now meets acceptable standards and is safe to drink. His concern was the past and what appeared to be a coverup February 3, 1998 M 0 0