Are the Current Forclosures Affecting Our Ground Water?

With the rise of foreclosures everywhere, ( Tucson is 37th in the nation according to the newspaper ) some disturbing information is coming to light as I inspect more and more foreclosed homes.

I am arriving to inspect homes that have been taken over by the banks, and finding the property “winterized” !   In Tucson!

Winterizing a property consists of turning the water off at the meter, then opening the faucets and blowing out the existing water in the pipes and emptying the water heater.  Then to keep the sewer lines from freezing ( again, in Tucson!)  ethylene glycol ( radiator fluid) is added in most cases to all of the sinks and toilets to keep them from freezing as well.  This, apparently, is ordered by the bank. 

I tried to query several Realtors for the number of foreclosures now and in the past several months, but ended up at www.forclosures.com and their list says there are about 20,000 houses currently in foreclosure in Pima County.  I can’t verify this number at the is time.

I’m sure the amount of radiator fluid differs per company, but any amount is incredible if you think about it! We are potentially flushing thousands of gallons of radiator fluid into the sewer system every month To winterize a home in the desert in the summer! I placed calls to the Tucson Water Company, and will post this as soon as I hear from the water company.  As far as I can tell, the EPA has no specific way to dispose of ethylene glycol, however dumping radiator fluid into the sewer system is not acceptable.  For an example, we are not allowed to dump outdated medications into the sewer system, so how is flushing radiator fluid okay?

I placed a call to Rodney Glassman’s office, Councilman to ward 2.  The office took the information and is running with it.  Let’s hope this reaches the right ears and things change for the better!