BAY MINETTE, Alabama  — The Baldwin County Commission on Tuesday authorized boring samples and continuous monitoring of arsenic and vinyl chloride detected in November at Magnolia Landfill in Summerdale.

Solid Waste Director Jim Ransom told commissioners a  designated recycle area has been moved to a lined cell as a precaution and that demolition residue is not a preliminary focus for the spikes.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management noted in a Nov. 17 assessment  “statistically significant” levels of the chemicals, but said it might be a “naturally occurring phenomenon” and seasonal.

Commissioners may approve additional monitoring stations to determine more specific extent and content of the groundwater migration.

The county received a letter from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) dated November 17, addressing the results of a March 2011 groundwater monitoring event at the Magnolia Sanitary landfill. The Magnolia Sanitary landfill uses six groundwater monitoring wells for the collection of groundwater samples.

Samples collected from two wells returned a statistically significant increase for arsenic and vinyl chloride.

Ransom said the arsenic may be related to the seasonal rise and fall of groundwater coming into contact with naturally occurring arsenic in the soil.

ADEM officials said the  semi-annual groundwater monitoring report in March has been reviewed at the request of the Commission and that corrective measures should be taken.

Ransom said an alternate source study has been submitted to ADEM and that boring samples will begin as soon as approval has been received.