CONTAMINATED WELL:Meth supplies could harm groundwater

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

This well was found by sheriff’s deputies inside a home on Bluff Springs Road. The well had reportedly been used as a dumping ground for meth-making materials. (Duane Sherrill photo)

Fears of groundwater contamination around Bluff Springs Road have been raised after deputies found a meth lab dumping ground inside a well, something they say may have corrupted the water table in the area.

Arrested as a result of the discovery is Cynthia Hollandsworth, who was living in the house owned by her mother-in-law. She faces charges of maintaining a dwelling to manufacture methamphetamine and could be held liable for cleanup of the house and well.

According to Sheriff Jackie Matheny, deputies went to investigate a burglary call Tuesday at the home located near the intersection of Bluff Springs Road and Lowery Lane. When they arrived, lawmen found evidence someone had broken in a door at the house. They also found evidence meth had been made inside the residence, with numerous items located at the bottom of a well inside the home.

Officers pulled as much of the meth debris as they could from the 12-foot deep well. They accessed some portions of the well by one deputy holding anther’s feet from above while the other reached head-first into the well’s depths.

Deputies pulled enough debris from the well to cover the small front yard of the residence, leading them to believe the well had been used for a dumping ground for some time. While the well had not been operational for a few years, the fact it was below the water table in the area makes authorities fear contamination may have gotten into the ground water.

Although most homes in the neighborhood have their water provided by Warren Utility District, officers believe there could be a few wells in the area which could share the same ground water.

“Our officers got as much out as they could,” Matheny said. “Of course, this is only the latest case of contamination because we’ve found meth-makers contaminating our streams, ground water and land for years. They throw the stuff out where our children can get into it and they vent the fumes into our neighborhoods. It’s a dangerous thing, and not just for the person who’s making it or using it.”