There's a joke in here somewhere about something rotten, but there's a fine line between funny and crass and we're unlikley to find it this morning. As such, without our snarky commentary or attempts at mood-lightening humor, here's the story from The Times and Democrat (Orangeburg, SC):

A revised “fact sheet” released Wednesday by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control identifies the now-closed Colonial Cleaners as “a potential source” for tetrachloroethylene, or dry cleaning solvent, detected in two of the city of Denmark’s wells.

The city has taken two of its three wells out of service as a precautionary measure after recent samples contained elevated levels of solvents.

Tetrachloroethylene, also known as PCE, was commonly used as a dry cleaning solvent before it was banned by the Environmental Protection Agency. Trichloroethylene, another solvent, was found in another Denmark well.

The Bamberg Board of Public Works has been furnishing water to Denmark since about 6:55 p.m. Thursday at the request of DHEC, according to BPW Manager Bruce Ellis.

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ˇWednesday’s revised fact sheet from DHEC said the city is taking action, with DHEC’s support, to ensure that all customers continue to be provided with safe drinking water. Recent samples of two of the town’s three wells detected contamination above an EPA-established Maximum Contaminant Level, it states. Neither well has exceeded the MCL in the past, DHEC notes.

According to the fact sheet, “The most recent Brooker Center Well test showed slightly elevated levels of tetrachloroethylene ... The Brooker Center well is within 1,200 feet of the closed Colonial Dry Cleaners, which is a potential source for this PCE contamination.”

[...]

Another contaminated well cited by DHEC is Denmark’s Legare Street/Clark Street well, which has shown contamination of trichloroethylene, also known as TCE. DHEC officials say they are actively investigating the source of this contamination.

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According to DHEC, federal regulations do not require the well to be taken off-line unless the readings over four quarters (a year) average more than the MCL. However, to be sure that safe water continues to be provided to the residents of Denmark, the city took the wells off-line and is supplementing its water needs with assistance from the Bamberg Public Works, DHEC’s release states.

Read the full story here.