Final Report on The Mongomery Plume? Nobody is responsible.

     The Montgomery Advertiser reports new restriction on downtown Montgomery development because of the downtown "Plume". That's an area of underground contamination first identified in 1991. The final report is of interest for The Advertiser for more than the journalistic value as a story.      
     As you can read in the excerpt below from the final report, one of the contaminant chemicals is used as an additive in printing inks. And the newspaper was located  near the plume for decades. Their former building at the corner of Washington and Lawrence Streets now houses Montgomery County offices. 

"The main contaminant of concern at this site is PCE. PCE is a man made substance that is typically used as a dry cleaning or degreasing agent. Other uses include an additive in printing inks, adhesives, glues,sealants, and polishes. The source or sources of the PCE contamination in the Montgomery area have not (sic "been") identified. Potential sources in the area of the North Well Field include a chemical wholesaler, airport maintenance shops, airport fueling areas, an auto repair shop, and a dry cleaner. As there is no known source of the PCE contamination, the site has been evaluated for NPL listing purposes as a ground waterplume."

     While the final report identifies no conclusive sources for the contamination, The Advertiser's former printing plant was a suspect source because of their use and disposal of inks between 1910 and 1940. The State Department of Education was also suspect because of the extensive printing they did in their building.
     Read from pages 84 - 156 of that exhaustive EPA report from 2011. It identifies The Advertiser as a likely source.  
     Although that is not mentioned in today's story, a 2014 story in the paper quoted a lawyer as saying they do not believe the paper contributed to the contamination, but would work with the city on a solution.