Continued use of drinking water wells contaminated with hazardous chemical substances--Virgin Islands and Minnesota, 1981-1993.

Improperly disposed hazardous chemical substances are a common source for contamination of drinking water wells. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and other environmental and public health agencies have recommended that exposure-reduction procedures (i.e., provision of alternative water supplies and construction of new water supplies) be implemented when drinking water wells are contaminated with hazardous substances in concentrations that approach or exceed levels potentially associated with adverse health outcomes in humans. Once these procedures are implemented, the original wells should not be used as sources for drinking water. This report summarizes two cases in which contaminated drinking water wells were being used even though health advisories had been issued to discontinue use of the wells.