Alton, Rhode Island facts for kids
Alton is a small village located in the town of Richmond, Rhode Island, in the United States. It's home to about 250 people. You can find Alton about an hour south of Providence, which is the capital city of Rhode Island.
Alton is mostly a place where people live; you won't find many shops or stores here. The village is special because it sits right where the Wood River crosses, and it's also just five miles from the Pawcatuck River.
Protecting Alton's Environment
For many years, a big factory called Charbert mill was a major employer in Alton. This factory made fabrics and used dyes in its processes. Even though the building is still there, it has been closed for a long time.
Water and Air Concerns
People living in Alton started noticing problems with the air and water around 1978. They often smelled a "rotten egg" odor, which comes from a gas called hydrogen sulfide. This smell was linked to how the Charbert factory handled its used water. The factory used five open ponds, which were not lined, to treat the water from its production.
Because these ponds were not lined, some of the substances from the wastewater could soak into the ground. This meant that certain chemicals got into the groundwater, which is the underground water that all residents use for their drinking water. These substances also affected the air that people breathed.
Checking the Water
In 2004, the Department of Health tested the water in 19 homes in Alton. The Charbert factory paid for these tests. The tests looked for 63 different types of VOCs (which are chemicals that can easily turn into gases) and MTBE (a chemical often found in gasoline) in the drinking water. Each home in Alton has its own private well for water, as there isn't a public water system.
After the tests, three homes were given bottled water to drink because their MTBE levels were higher than what is considered safe. The drinking water in four homes on River Street, which are very close to the old Charbert factory, is still tested every three months to make sure it's safe. Other homes have not had their water tested again since 2004.
