The beach at Leddy Park in Burlington, Vermont, is open to the public again after a styrene spill forced officials to close the area for cleanup three weeks ago.
There are no conclusive maximum contaminant levels, or MCLs, for the carcinogen, but immediate tests following the accidental spill of one gallon of styrene mixed in with around 50 gallons of steam condensate into a storm drain resulted in "relatively high" levels.
Now, the styrene is at non-detectable levels in the stream closest to Lake Champlain, according to Robert Goulding from the Burlington's Department of Public Works. Leddy's stream pool, nearer to the storm water outlet, will continue to have a "closed" sign to further allow any remaining styrene to dissipate.
A spill contractor mitigated the potential damage and took additional samples to ensure that the water was no longer contaminated, writes NBC5 in their coverage.