The EPA is tracking tainted Rialto water and working toward cleanup
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 17, 2010 at 6:50 amFrom the Riverside Press-Enterprise:
“Perchlorate-contaminated groundwater has spread beyond the boundaries of a Superfund cleanup project in Rialto, said environmental regulators who are trying to determine how fast the plume is moving and whether it is headed toward wells serving Riverside.
The new findings come from samples at six monitoring wells installed in Rialto last year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, project manager Wayne Praskins said Friday. The wells are in the lower Rialto-Colton basin, beyond more than a mile-long strip where polluted water already is slated to be treated.
Tests from various depths of the 900-foot wells showed concentrations above state drinking water standards for perchlorate, a rocket fuel ingredient that can impair thyroid function. Also found in levels above state and federal safety levels was the cleaning solvent trichloroethylene, or TCE, a likely carcinogen that may cause liver and kidney damage and impair fetal development. … “
Continue reading this article from the Riverside Press-Enterprise by clicking here.
Baca perchlorate bill approved by House Natural Resources Committee
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 27, 2010 at 7:22 amFrom Congressman Joe Baca:
“Today, the House Natural Resources Committee unanimously approved legislation introduced by Congressman Joe Baca (D-Rialto) that calls for a government based study of the current perchlorate crisis in the Inland Empire. H.R. 4252, the Inland Empire Perchlorate Ground Water Plume Assessment Act, directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of water resources and perchlorate contamination in the Inland Empire, specifically ordering the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a study of the Rialto-Colton water basin focused on the perchlorate contaminated plume in Rialto.
“Many families in the Inland Empire are concerned about the quality and safety of the water they drink,” said Rep. Baca. “My legislation calls for a much-needed USGS study of the Rialto-Colton water basin in order to find the best possible solutions to cleaning up the perchlorate contamination in our area. I thank the Chairman Nick Rahall, and my colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee for working with me to move this legislation forward. Every American deserves access to clean, safe drinking water, and my bill helps to safeguard this essential right for Inland residents.” … “
Continue reading at Congressman Joe Baca’s website by clicking here.
Health concerns persist about water cleanup, Rialto residents tell EPA
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 11, 2010 at 6:23 amFrom the Riverside Press-Enterprise:
“The safety of drinking water in the communities near a Rialto industrial area contaminated with toxic chemicals continues to be a top concern among residents, according to public comments at a federal environmental meeting Wednesday.
Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were soliciting input on a plan to clean up pollution that has worked its way into the groundwater for miles around what is known as the 160-acre site north of Highway 210, between Alder and Locust avenues.
The primary contaminants are trichloroethylene, or TCE, an industrial solvent; and perchlorate, a chemical in rocket fuel.
The EPA wants to extract the water, treat it and ship it to suppliers for distribution to homes and businesses. The agency also is monitoring how and where the plume is moving, said Wayne Praskins, EPA project manager. … “
Read more from the Riverside Press-Enterprise by clicking here.
EPA to detail Rialto perchlorate plan
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 10, 2010 at 7:55 amFrom the San Bernardino Sun:
“RIALTO – Officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will meet with the public Wednesday night to discuss a $29.3 million plan to pump groundwater tainted with perchlorate and remove the contaminate.
“We’re going to lay it all out there and let you know what the contamination is and what the levels are,” said Alejandro Diaz, a community involvement coordinator for the EPA.
Perchlorate is a rocket-fuel additive that in high doses can interfere with the thyroid gland. It is flowing in a southeast direction from a 160-acre site at Casa Grande Drive and Locust Avenue in the north end, where fireworks companies and defense contractors operated after World War II.
The plan is directed at the most contaminated groundwater at the site, which extends more than 1.5 miles southeast. … “
Read more from the San Bernadino Sun by clicking here.
No more delays on groundwater cleanup, says editorial
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 14, 2010 at 6:02 amFrom the Pasadena Star News, this editorial:
“Without a doubt, the latest snag in the ongoing San Gabriel Valley/Whittier Narrows groundwater cleanup could be huge. It has the potential to delay progress for years or add hundreds of millions of dollars to the price tag.
That’s why we can’t emphasize enough how important it is for all sides to keep meeting and iron out a solution soon.
As cleanup efforts enter the fourth decade, residents of the Valley are tired of the problem that drags on and on with incremental progress. And so are we.
But this time, unlike previous roadblocks, such as the discovery of perchlorate in the `90s that set back progress for years, we believe this problem can be solved expeditiously.
Because we believe the EPA, the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority and the companies responsible for this contamination – Northrop Grumman and United Technologies Corporation – are poised to solve this snafu and resume full cleanup in the La Puente portion of the basin. … “
Read more of this editorial from the Pasadena Star News by clicking here.
Federal funds aid perchlorate cleanup in Rialto & Colton
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 23, 2009 at 5:56 amFrom the San Bernardino Sun:
“Water agencies in Rialto, Colton and Fontana have reason to rejoice following the passage of a federal bill that will send $3.5 million their way to help clean perchlorate from water they deliver to 250,000 people in western San Bernardino County.
The bill, passed by the U.S. Senate last week, will enable the cities of Rialto and Colton, as well as the Fontana Union Water Co. and West Valley Water District, to build 10 new treatment systems that remove perchlorate, a rocket-fuel additive, from their water supplies.
Perchlorate is a naturally occurring and man-made chemical that in high doses can interfere with the thyroid gland, which regulates metabolism and brain development in fetuses and children, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For years, city leaders in Rialto have fought to get financial assistance for perchlorate cleanup from county, state and federal officials, as well as those they hold responsible for the pollution. … “
Read more from the San Bernardino Sun by clicking here.
Rialto, Colton, two water agencies to receive $3.5 million to help fund perchlorate cleanup
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 20, 2009 at 7:18 amFrom the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin:
“The cities of Rialto, Colton and two water agencies are expected to share $3.5 million to fund 10 new water treatment systems as part a bill passed by the U.S. Sentate.
The bill, which was passed Saturday, calls for funding for water treatment systems to remove perchlorate from water used by 250,000 people in western San Bernardino County, according to the Associated Press.
The new treatment systems will clean 31 million gallons of water per day.
“Obviously, this is very welcome news for the area,” Rialto City Councilman Ed Scott said, when reached by telephone. … “
Read more from the Inland Daily Bulletin by clicking here.
Santa Clarita’s toxic water to be cleaned; Perchlorate-contaminated wells, closed in 1997, could provide safe water in a few months
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 12, 2009 at 6:55 amFrom the Santa Clarita Signal:
“Two Saugus water wells were shut down more than a decade ago because they were contaminated with perchlorate, a toxic byproduct of rocket fuel production. But soon, they might be running again.
Within about four months, the Castaic Lake Water Agency expects to open a new, $20 million water treatment plant and pipeline system that will pump safe drinking water from those wells.
The plant is set to open in March, said Brian Folsom, engineering and operations manager for the water agency. The state Department of Public Health still has to certify the plant. … “
Read more from the Santa Clarita Signal by clicking here.
Health probe started in Rialto water contamination
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 3, 2009 at 7:51 amFrom the Riverside Press-Enterprise:
“The state is combing old water records to determine whether highly contaminated groundwater — which now stretches for miles from an industrial site in Rialto — caused illnesses among residents in the many decades before it was discovered, health officials said during a community meeting Wednesday night.
In 1997, three wells were found to have high levels of perchlorate, an ingredient in rocket fuel, and trichloroethylene, or TCE, an industrial solvent, which seeped into the soil and underground water. Water was not tested for perchlorate before then.
The source is a 160-acre site north of Interstate 210, between Alder and Locust avenues, where private companies and government agencies stored, tested and manufactured munitions, rocket motors and fireworks.
It is the Inland region’s largest uncontrolled plume of perchlorate in a drinking-water supply. … “
Read more from the Riverside Press-Enterprise by clicking here.
Water bond could bring millions to perchlorate cleanup, water recycling
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 6, 2009 at 7:57 amFrom the San Garbriel Valley Tribune:
“An $11.1 billion statewide water bond meant to remedy the state’s vulnerable water supply could include more than $150 million for San Gabriel Valley projects.
If voters approve the bond next November, the Valley would see $100 million for groundwater cleanup and at least $50 million for water recycling projects, according to officials.
It would be the largest amount of funding awarded locally to address groundwater contamination, according to Gabriel Monares, director of resource development for the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority.
“The San Gabriel Valley could finally get major money for its water needs” Monares said. “We have never been in a position to get money like this.” …”
Read more from the San Gabriel Valley by clicking here.
Commentary: Where has our little CAG for the Whitaker-Bermite facility gone?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 5, 2009 at 6:20 amFrom the Santa Clarita Signal, this commentary by Cam Noltemeyer:
“For many years the Whittaker-Bermite facility made ordnance in the Santa Clarita Valley for the military. This 996-acre property, located off Soledad Canyon Road in the center of our city, is still polluting our groundwater with the chemicals used to make those bombs.
At the time, Whittaker was established, the Santa Clarita Valley was mostly empty farmland. It didn’t seem to matter whether chemicals were dumped or handled carelessly because no one was around anyway.
Additionally, no one understood the effects such chemicals had on human health, though looking back, it seems like they should have.
Now such practices have come back to bite us. With the huge population increase in our area, families and children are dealing with the aftermath. Many of the chemicals in the soil, such as TCE and PCE that seeped into the groundwater, have been found to be cancer-causing. Ammonium perchlorate, another pollutant used in the manufacturing operation, interrupts thyroid production and may cause retardation in small children and fetuses. …”
Superfund cleanup could mean refunds, water bill cuts for Rialto residents
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 3, 2009 at 5:54 amFrom the Redlands Daily Facts:
“Residents here might soon be getting money back from their local government – and they can thank Uncle Sam.
City officials are turning over cleanup of contaminated groundwater to the federal government, which means local residents could see surcharges for perchlorates removed from their water bills and reimbursement of charges already paid.
“I think what this means is the residents of Rialto can be assured their water will be kept safe for their families and the brunt of this cleanup is not going to be borne by them,” Councilman Ed Scott said.
The City Council in a 5-0 unanimous vote last week withdrew from the Rialto-Colton Joint Powers Authority, which was formed in early 2008 with San Bernardino County and other agencies to seek funding to solve the perchlorate problem at a 160-acre site on the north end.
The site landed on the EPA’s Superfund National Priorities List in September, which makes it eligible for federal funding. …”
Read more from Redlands Daily Facts by clicking here.
Rialto may withdraw from local perchlorate authority
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 27, 2009 at 6:25 amFrom the San Bernardino Sun:
“The city may step aside so the federal government can assume control of groundwater contamination here.
The City Council tonight will consider a resolution to withdraw from the Rialto-Colton Joint Powers Authority, which was formed in early 2008 with San Bernardino County, Fontana Union Water Company and West Valley Water District to seek funding to solve the perchlorate problem near the Rialto-Colton Basin.
The Authority has not been as effective as officials once hoped it would be in obtaining funding to fight the problem, according to a staff report.
Since the city’s area of groundwater contamination has been added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priorities List of Superfund sites, officials believe now might be the right time to withdraw from the Authority. …”
Read more from the San Bernardino Sun by clicking here.
Superfund site will save Rialto millions of dollars
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2009 at 7:48 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
“A 160-acre site in the northern area of the city known for introducing a perchlorate plume into the local groundwater supply has been added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund National Priorities List.
When the listing was announced Wednesday, officials declared it a landmark victory for Rialto residents.
“This is a very victorious day for the city of Rialto, after spending $28 million to try to get these guys to do the right thing,” Councilman Ed Scott said.
The Superfund designation represents a commitment by the EPA to clean the site while making it eligible for government funding, said Wayne Praskins, Superfund project manager.
The EPA has been developing an initial cleanup proposal that should be ready at the beginning of the year, Praskins said Friday. …”
Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Councilman urges bill to study perchlorate in RIalto-Colton basin
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 23, 2009 at 6:17 amFrom the Riverside Press-Enterprise:
“Congressional action is needed to initiate a federal study of water contamination in the Rialto-Colton water basin, a Rialto official told lawmakers Tuesday on Capitol Hill.
Testifying before the House Subcommittee on Water and Power, Councilman Ed Scott spoke in support of a bill requiring the U.S. Geological Survey to conduct the $2.4 million study, which is stalled by funding problems.
“The dilemma we face today is the plume of contamination continues to move southeasterly at a high rate of speed — possibly two feet per day towards the county of Riverside and, eventually, Orange County,” Scott said. “This frightening possibility could affect the water source for hundreds of thousands of people.” …”
Read more from the Press-Enterprise by clicking here.
EPA reviews risk to children of perchlorate in drinking water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 6, 2009 at 7:30 amFrom the Environment News Service:
“Perchlorate, a toxic component of rocket fuel, fireworks and safety flares that contaminates water supplies in 35 states, may come under federal regulation after a scientific review, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today.
Last October, the Bush-era EPA made a preliminary decision not to regulate perchlorate in drinking water, saying, “The agency has determined that a national primary drinking water regulation for perchlorate would not present a meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction for persons served by public water systems.”
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson today announced that the agency will review that decision with special attention to the effects of perchlorates on the health of infants and young children. “It is critically important to protect sensitive populations, particularly infants and young children, from perchlorate in drinking water,” said Jackson. “As we re-evaluate the science around perchlorate, we will seek public input before making a regulatory determination based on the best science.” …”
Red more from the Environment News Service by clicking here.
Agency ratchets up Rialto perchlorate probe
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 5, 2009 at 7:16 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
“A state agency has stepped up its investigation into a demolished hazardous-waste-disposal facility buried on the north end of town that some say is contributing to water contamination flowing through the city.
In a July 15 letter to the West Valley Water District concerning the Broco Inc. site, Maziar Movassaghi, acting director of the state Department of Toxic Substances Control, said, “Our project team has been assessing and responding to issues at a pace that does not reflect the priority the facility represents.” Movassaghi’s letter was written at the request of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in response to the district’s concerns that the department was dragging its feet on an investigation into the county’s activities at the site.
In an April 17 letter to Movassaghi, Anthony “Butch” Araiza, general manager of the Rialto-based district, upbraided the department because, he said, it did not respond in a timely manner to a January letter calling for clarification in regards to the department’s investigation. “The lack of any formal and timely response is inexcusable, especially given that the request for an immediate response was sent from a purveyor that is facing a severe groundwater pollution crisis,” Araiza wrote. …”
Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Congressman Joe Baca secures $2 million for perchlorate treatment in defense spending bill; Federal appropriation will be used to clean contaminated wells in Inland Empire
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 31, 2009 at 6:38 amFrom the website of Congressman Joe Baca:
Today, a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives approved the Fiscal Year 2010 Department of Defense appropriations bill, legislation that includes $2 million secured by Congressman Joe Baca (D-Rialto), for the purpose of treating perchlorate contaminated wells in the Inland Empire. The bill includes funding secured by Rep. Baca to clean up wells operated by the cities of Rialto, Colton, the West Valley Water District, and the Fontana Water Company, and passed the House with a 400 to 30 vote.
“Clean, safe drinking water is a right all American families deserve – and eliminating perchlorate from our local water supplies has been a top priority of mine in Congress,” said Rep. Baca. “The funding request included in today’s legislation will help improve the safety of our drinking water, and is vital to public health in our Inland communities.”
The $2 million secured by Rep. Baca will be used by area water purveyors, working in conjunction with Department of Defense program managers, to demonstrate technologies for wellhead treatment, perhclorate source identification, and contamination containment.
Perchlorate, a rocket fuel additive, has been found to be present at trace levels in some Inland communities. Perchlorate is a volatile organic compound that has been found to be harmful to humans as it interferes with thyroid function.
“Perchlorate has contaminated sources in my Congressional District and other areas, making the water unsafe if it is not treated,” concluded Rep. Baca. “I am proud to bring these federal dollars home to strengthen the long term water quality and stability of the Inland Empire. Any actions we in the federal government can take to improve water quality is important to ensuring our communities, neighborhoods, and families are free from the harmful effects of perchlorate.”
Tainted water could turn drought into long-term disaster; Government agencies are now pulling together to try to contain the threat
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 29, 2009 at 8:17 amFrom NBC Los Angeles:
“It’s been four years since California had normal rainfall. But in part of San Bernardino County man-made chemicals could turn drought into a long-term disaster for 500,000 residents. “The perchlorate contamination problem, which was a priority for me, was not being addressed,” said San Bernardino County Supervisor, Josie Gonzales of the time she first became aware of the contamination threat.
Perchlorate is a chemical, often found in explosives that can damage the thyroid. And Gonzales acknowledged to NBC4 that for years it imperiled the scarce groundwater in Rialto, Colton and the surrounding areas. “The water did become contaminated,” she observed frankly.
Government agencies are now pulling together to try to contain the threat. But it’s taken them more than twenty years to do so, and the delay, say critics, reflects almost Katrina-like incompetence.
“The county and the state of California are guilty of reckless indifference in this instance,” maintains Butch Ariza, who’s long been concerned about the contamination, He heads a public water district near Rialto.
Read more from NBC Los Angeles by clicking here.
Department of Defense, Defense Contractors Lobby to Block Perchlorate Advisory
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 24, 2009 at 7:23 amFrom the New York Times:
The Pentagon and the defense industry is lobbying the White House to prevent U.S. EPA from tightening a health advisory for a rocket-fuel chemical.
Representatives of the Defense Department, the Navy and aerospace and defense companies have met with the Office of Management and Budget this month to discuss a pending EPA decision on the chemical, perchlorate.
In a document presented to OMB, the groups argue that rushing a decision will have “adverse public health consequences and unintended negative effects on all drinking water regulatory programs, and on voluntary, state and federal cleanup efforts.”
Perchlorate contamination of drinking water, which is linked to DOD and contractor activities at rocket test sites, has been documented in at least 35 states and the District of Columbia. The chemical can inhibit the thyroid gland’s iodine uptake, interfering with fetal development.
Read more from the New York Times by clicking here.
$2.8M should go to Rialto water treatment, officials say
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 6, 2009 at 6:39 amFrom the San Bernardino Sun:
The city has different plans for about $2.8million initially granted by the State Water Resources Control Board to study groundwater contaminated with perchlorate.
Together with the Rialto-based West Valley Water District, the city has requested that the money instead be used for a project that would treat 2,000 gallons of contaminated water per minute at the city’s well No. 6 and the water district’s well No. 11. Each well is inactive.
In an April letter to the Riverside-based Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board, the city and the water district said the money should be used for the treatment project because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency already is installing six groundwater monitoring wells at a 160-acre site northeast of town where perchlorate is flowing.
And Emhart Industries, a defunct subsidiary of Black and Decker Corp., is conducting a soil investigation at the site.
Read more from the San Bernardino Sun by clicking here.
San Bernardino County must come clean on groundwater pollution
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 31, 2009 at 6:45 amFrom the San Bernardino Sun, this commentary by Anthony Araiza, general manager of the West Valley Water District in Rialto:
We are unfortunately compelled to call public attention to the inaccurate information about San Bernardino County’s role in contaminating local groundwater provided to you a few days ago by the office of Supervisor Josie Gonzales.
In a point of view (”County is cleaning up perchlorate,” March 26), Supervisor Gonzales stated: “Before the county purchased property in north Rialto for the future expansion of the Mid-Valley Landfill, the county hired an expert to test the land for hazardous materials. Those tests did not find significant contamination in the soil.”
We strongly disagree with these statements. It is time for the County of San Bernardino, and its elected supervisors, to honestly and openly talk about the illegal conduct associated with the county’s Mid-Valley Sanitary Landfill expansion, and the serious harm these activities have inflicted on the citizens of the county, the environment and our precious local drinking water supply.
With all due respect to Supervisor Gonzales, the facts now being disclosed about the Mid-Valley Landfill clearly demonstrate that county officials acted, and continue to act, in complete and utter disregard of applicable state and federal laws.
Based on reports provided by the county, it now appears that county officials knowingly – and with reckless disregard of the law – demolished contaminated bunkers at a state-permitted hazardous waste site, and spread the contaminated waste debris onto adjacent parcels and unknown locations offsite. Much of this hazardous debris was improperly used to construct noise berms on the perimeter of the county’s property. The hazardous chemicals in this debris included lead, arsenic, mercury, asbestos and perchlorate – the chemical currently contaminating groundwater and the region’s drinking water wells.
Read more from the San Bernardino Sun by clicking here.
Coverage wrap-up: Huge public lands bill gets final congressional approval; expands wilderness protection, provides for San Joaquin River Restoration and perchlorate clean-up
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 26, 2009 at 7:49 am
From the Los Angeles Times:
Reporting from Washington — In the largest expansion of wilderness protection in 15 years, Congress today sent President Obama legislation that would conserve a wide swath of the West, including stretches of California from the desert to the Sierra.
The lands bill, which passed the House 285 to 140, is expected to be signed by the president this year. It would give the highest level of federal protection to more than 2 million acres in nine states — prohibiting new roads, the use of motorized or mechanized vehicles, most commercial activities, logging, new structures, new mining claims and new grazing. That is almost as much land as was designated for protection during George W. Bush’s entire presidency.
In California, which currently has 14 million acres of wilderness (second only to Alaska, which has more than 57 million acres), the bill would protect 700,000-plus acres. The measure also would authorize $88 million to fund restoration efforts on the San Joaquin River and provide $61 million toward cleanup of polluted groundwater in the San Gabriel Valley area.
More from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
From McClatchy Newspapers:
Dubbed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, the bill is stuffed with provisions ranging from designating a Wyoming wild-and-scenic river and honoring Bill Clinton’s birthplace to creating a national institute for the study of caves.
The bill will be expensive, over time. It authorizes projects expected to cost more than $5.5 billion over five years if Congress provides the money, according to the Congressional Budget Office. It also adds an additional $900 million in spending after 2013, the nonpartisan budget office estimates.
Most controversial may be the expansion of federally designated wilderness areas — the highest level of federal protection.
“The federal government already owns 30 percent of the total land area of the United States,” said Rep. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa. “I don’t think we need any more.”
Radanovich and his fellow Republican from California’s San Joaquin Valley, Rep. Devin Nunes, voted against the bill. Nunes insisted the bill’s provision diverting San Joaquin River water from farms to environmental protection “will ensure higher unemployment” in the Valley.
But by including upward of 170 different provisions affecting many different states, Democratic legislative tacticians secured majority support. The omnibus packaging also meant Radanovich ended up voting against a bill that included provisions he authored and still supports, including the Madera County groundwater bank and the San Joaquin River restoration.
Read more from McClatchy Newspapers by clicking here.
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
In one of the boldest river restorations in the Western United States, a 63-mile stretch of the San Joaquin River will be transformed from a dusty ditch into a fish-friendly waterway under legislation approved Wednesday that ends a decades-long dispute between farmers and environmentalists. The $400 million project, approved by Congress as part of a landmark wilderness bill, will increase the amount of water released from the Friant Dam near Fresno into the San Joaquin River. The flows are intended to resurrect the river’s salmon fishery, decimated in the years following the dam’s construction in 1942.
The 15,000 farms in the region will receive between 15 and 19 percent less water from the reserves stored behind the dam. Funds from the measure will help water districts offset that loss with new storage facilities and repairs to existing canals.
President Obama is expected to sign the legislation, sponsored by California Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein. It seals a settlement reached in 2006 that followed two decades of battles between environmentalists and fishing groups – who filed a lawsuit in 1988 – and agricultural interests.
Both sides praised the bill, which spells out funding for the program and authorizes a timetable for water releases beginning this fall. “After recent dry years and a collapsing salmon fishery, passage of this bill is good news for fisherman, farmers, and the more than 22 million Californians who rely on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for their water supply,” said Monty Schmitt, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the plaintiffs in the 1980s suit.
More from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
But not everyone is happy, according to Mike Taugher and the Contra Costa Times:
For farmers and a couple of cities, including Fresno, that are served by Friant, the settlement was a way to make the best of a bad situation when a 2004 court decision found that the federal government was illegally depriving the San Joaquin River of water.
Rather than putting their fate in the hands of a judge with the ability to do little more than cut off water supplies to those farmers and cities, they worked out a deal with environmentalists and government agencies.
The settlement means Friant water users give up 15 percent to 20 percent of their water supply by sending it down the river but they also have a chance to get it back. The San Joaquin River flows into the Delta, and massive pumps take water from the Delta back down the San Joaquin Valley. So, in theory, water that is released by Friant down the San Joaquin River could be delivered back to farms through those pumps and canals. “The ability to get this water back was one of the reasons farmers support it,” Jacobsma said, adding that environmental problems in the Delta will make that difficult.
Still, animosity toward the agreement runs strong in places. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, said the agreement would force 300,000 acres of farmland out of production. “The officials responsible will be remembered as architects of the economic and environmental catastrophe that follows,” he predicted.
Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
The legislation also provides for providing funds to cleanup perchlorate-contaminated groundwater basins in the San Gabriel Valley:
The Water Quality Authority will use the $50 million increase in federal funds to help remove perchlorate – a chemical in rocket fuel and fireworks – from the aquifer that lies below the San Gabriel Valley and provides drinking water to the area.
The legislation is the first step of a two-step process to get the federal funds. It allows federal funding to be used for the cleanup; lawmakers must still actually budget the funds annually. “Today we have taken a big step forward … each year we are going to have to be back at it … to ensure this happens,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, who cosponsored the original legislation by Rep. David Dreier, R-San Dimas.
The federal government has already contributed approximately $79 million to the cleanup effort, estimated to cost $1 billion to complete. Additional funds have come from the state and from the parties responsible for the contamination.
Before its dangers were known, the aerospace and defense sectors freely dumped perchlorate. The San Gabriel Valley is one the nation’s largest Superfund sites in part because of this contamination. The chemical has been found to reduce the production of thyroid hormones, which are critical for growth and brain development, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Though the Water Quality Authority does not have the federal dollars in hand, the government’s renewed commitment helps leverage “much more money” from private parties, including those responsible, by bringing them to the negotiating table, Kast said.
Read more from the Whittier Daily News by clicking here.
Sorry, I’m pressed for time this morning, and can’t incorporate everyone this morning; You can hear from Trout Unlimited (IndyBay.org) by clicking here, and from Friends of the River (YubaNet.com) by clicking here.
San Bernardino County is cleaning up perchlorate, says commentary
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 26, 2009 at 6:22 amFrom the San Bernardino Sun, this commentary by San Bernardino County Supervisor Josie Gonzales, representative of the 5th District, which includes Rialto, Bloomington and parts of Colton, Fontana and San Bernardino:
The County of San Bernardino will clean up any perchlorate in local groundwater for which it is found responsible. It is that simple.
The county has already spent $13million over the past several years treating perchlorate and supplying clean water to Rialto residents. The county’s treatment system is in place to capture any perchlorate determined to be emanating from county property purchased in 1993 for the future expansion of the Mid-Valley Landfill. Over the next several decades, the county will likely spend more than $60 million on the operation of the treatment facility.
Perchlorate was first detected in groundwater in the Rialto Colton Basin in 1997. But to date, the county is the only potentially responsible party to start a groundwater cleanup.
From day one, the county has focused its resources on fixing the problem, rather than litigation. That is why the county has settled with the cities of Rialto and Colton.
That is why the county has a draft settlement with the State Regional Water Quality Control Board to memorialize the county’s ongoing efforts to capture and treat the western perchlorate plume. That is why county lawyers are playing an active role in settlement negotiations between the state and the other potentially responsible parties on finding a solution to the eastern perchlorate plume.
The county is leading this cleanup even though the county never manufactured any perchlorate-containing materials and never introduced any perchlorate into the soils. It is just the right thing to do.
Read more of this commentary by clicking here.
Funds filter down to clean up water: Castaic Lake Water Agency receives more than $1 million to fight groundwater pollution
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 19, 2009 at 2:37 pmFrom the Santa Clarita Signal:
When President Obama signed off on a $410 billion spending bill last week, he kept the money flowing for Castaic Lake Water Agency’s efforts to clean up polluted water here in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Included in the wide-ranging bill is $1.148 million for cleanup at the former Whittaker-Bermite property in the middle of the city.
The water agency has been receiving federal cleanup funding annually for “a number of years,” according to Dan Masnada, general manager of the water agency. “It’s nothing new but it’s very helpful in at least covering some of the costs,” he said.
More from the Santa Clarita Signal by clicking here.
Everyone heads back to negotiating table as county perchlorate settlement is tabled
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 14, 2009 at 6:45 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
A proposed settlement between San Bernardino County and state water-quality regulators that would require the county to clean up much of the perchlorate contaminating Rialto’s drinking water has been put on hold.
The settlement was scheduled to be considered by the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board at its April 24 meeting. But it has been taken off the calendar, said the board’s assistant executive officer, Kurt Berchtold. Renewed effort will now be put into global settlement talks among all the parties involved in the matter.
“It appeared that various (suspected polluters) would spend considerable effort challenging the county settlement and that would potentially disrupt the global settlement talks,” Berchtold said.
The proposed settlement would hold the county responsible for continuing its cleanup of a portion of the contamination. But other suspected polluters – and there are dozens of them – seemed uncomfortable with the county’s getting its own settlement deal. Some polluters also alleged that most of the board members had conflicts of interest because of contacts about the case with staff, who act as prosecutors against suspected polluters.
Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Regional water quality board to weigh San Bernardino County deal to clean up tainted groundwater
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 14, 2009 at 5:44 amFrom the Riverside’s Press-Enterprise:
A regional water quality board will consider approving a settlement calling for San Bernardino County to continue cleanup of a landfill that leaked toxic perchlorate into the groundwater of Colton and Rialto.
Kurt Berchtold, assistant executive officer of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board, said the April 24 hearing is a technicality growing out of the tentative settlement between San Bernardino County and the two cities nearly a year ago.
The earlier settlement called for the county to pay Rialto $4 million and Colton $1 million for the perchlorate contamination. Perchlorate is a chemical found in rocket fuel and fireworks.
“I thought we would have had it (the settlement money) a year ago,” Rialto City Councilman Ed Scott said by phone Friday. “Who knows when we’ll get it? I’m hoping by mid-summer that everything will be finished and we’ll have our settlement with the county.”
Read more from the Press Enterprise by clicking here.
Boeing ordered to remove tainted soil; Stormwater is carrying away contaminants at former test site
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 19, 2008 at 5:49 amFrom the Ventura County Star:
Boeing Co., the owner of a former rocket engine and nuclear test site south of Simi Valley, has been ordered to remove contaminated soil to keep pollutants found in storm water from running off the site.
Heavy metals, perchlorate and other toxic materials have been found in stormwater running off the Santa Susana Field Laboratory at two outfalls that drain into Dayton Canyon Creek and the Arroyo Simi.
The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board issued the order on Dec. 3. Stormwater traversing the field lab has contained pollutants that exceed limits set in a permit previously issued by the board.
In 2007, Boeing was fined for exceeding limits of chromium, dioxin, lead, mercury and other pollutants in wastewater and stormwater runoff over a period of nearly 18 months.
“It’s a new approach but is not a radical change from what we have been doing,” board spokesman Stephen Cain said.
Read more from the Ventura County Star by clicking here.
States don’t back USEPA perchlorate proposal
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 14, 2008 at 8:10 amFrom American Water Works Association’s Water Weekly:
State regulators’ comments generally oppose the USEPA’s proposed preliminary regulatory determination to not regulate perchlorate. New Jersey said it will be finalizing an MCL for perchlorate in 2009. However, the USEPA’s own National Drinking Water Advisory Council threaded its way through the issue more carefully.
Meanwhile, an internal document obtained by news media indicates the agency intends to finalize the decision to issue a health advisory, instead of an MCL, for the chemical by mid-December ― before the Obama administration takes office. However, that document predated the 15-day extension of comments on the agency’s preliminary decision. Comments on EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0692 closed Nov. 28 and are still being posted online.
The NDWAC was one of those taking advantage of the extension, with comments posted Dec. 11. Chairman Gregg Grunenfelder wrote, “While NDWAC members do not have a consensus position to relay on the perchlorate decision itself, the members fully support the need for a strong, scientifically valid basis upon which to make such decisions.”
On Nov. 5, a comment co-signed by USEPA Science Advisory Board Chair Deborah Swackhamer and SAB Drinking Water Committee Chair Joan Rose noted USEPA’s intent to issue a final regulatory determination by December 2008 and reminded USEPA that the DWC’s draft report on Contaminant Candidate List 3 had recommended perchlorate should be a high priority for [regulatory] consideration” by the agency.
Read more from Water Weekly by clicking here.
Bankrupt company ordered to investigate its role in drinking-water contamination
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 7, 2008 at 7:23 amFrom the San Bernardino Sun:
The state water agency charged with cleaning up the extensive water contamination here has ordered a bankrupt fireworks company to start investigating its role in the mess.
On Wednesday, Gerard Thibeault, executive officer of the Riverside-based Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board, sent a letter to Harry Hescox, former president of Pyrotronics Corp., ordering him to investigate contamination in the city.
“Evidence shows that large amounts of perchlorate were used and disposed of by Pyrotronics in its large-scale fireworks manufacturing operations that took place for approximately two decades,” the letter reads.
Perchlorate interferes with the thyroid gland, which affects metabolism, and mental and physical development. The chemical, used in explosives, is flowing through Rialto toward Colton.
The regional board has issued similar orders to about 20 parties since 2002, said Kurt Berchtold, assistant executive officer, but this order comes more than a year after the board’s staff tried to prosecute three suspected polluters in state hearings. The hearings still have not been held. The three companies were Black & Decker, Goodrich and Pyro Spectaculars, which is based in Rialto.
“The reason for issuing the order to Pyrotronics now is because although they’re a defunct corporation, they do have insurance coverage that we believe may allow additional work to be done on the site,” Berchtold said.
Read more from the San Bernardino Sun by clicking here.
Feds set to eliminate water regulations for the neurotoxin perchlorate
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 4, 2008 at 8:08 am
From Wired Science:
Among the Bush administration’s final environmental legacies will be a decision to exempt perchlorate, a known neurotoxin found at unsafe levels in the drinking water of millions of Americans, from federal regulation.
The ruling, proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency in October, was supposed to be formalized on Monday. That deadline passed, but the agency expects to announce its decision by the year’s end, before president-elect Barack Obama takes office. It could take years to reverse.
Critics accuse the EPA of ignoring expert advice and basing their decision on an abstract model of perchlorate exposure, rather than existing human data.
“We know that breast milk is widely contaminated with perchlorate, and we know that young children are especially vulnerable. We have really good human data. So why are they putting a model front-and-center?” said Anila Jacobs at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group. “And they used a model that hasn’t yet gone through the peer-review process.”
The ruling is one of dozens planned for the final days of the Bush administration. Others include a relaxing of air pollution standards for aging power plants, and a reduction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s traditional role in evaluating the impact of federal projects on endangered species.
Read more from Wired Science by clicking here.
Defunct fireworks company ordered to pay for Rialto perchlorate testing
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 4, 2008 at 7:27 amFrom Riverside’s Press-Enterprise:
Water quality officials on Wednesday ordered a fireworks producer to pay for testing of groundwater on a 160-acre industrial site in Rialto where drinking-water wells have been contaminated with perchlorate.
The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board issued a letter to the now-defunct Pyrotronics Corp. and its former president, Harry Hescox, to investigate perchlorate levels in ground water near a 12,000-gallon concrete pond where the company dumped the contaminant while making Silver Sunrise, King Kong and other fireworks. Perchlorate is used in fireworks, munitions, rocket fuel and other explosives, and has been found to affect the thyroid gland in high doses.
“There’s been some monitoring right around the pit. We need some further monitoring downstream to figure out how far things have migrated,” said Kurt Berchtold, the regional board’s assistant executive director.
Hescox’s attorney, David Isola, said he had not seen a copy of the order and declined to comment.
The industrial area where Pyrotronics and other companies operated is believed to be the source of the Inland region’s largest uncontrolled plume of perchlorate in a drinking-water supply. The contamination has tainted more than a dozen drinking-water wells that serve Rialto and Colton; some have been closed and treatment systems have been installed on others. The plume stretches seven miles and appears to be headed toward three wells owned by the city of Riverside.
Read the rest of this story from the Press-Enterprise by clicking here.
Whitaker-Bermite facility: The perchlorate cleanup plan is a reality, says commentary
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 1, 2008 at 1:18 pmFrom Aquafornia’s hometown newspaper, the Santa Clarita Signal, this commentary by William Pesci, president of the Castaic Lake Water Agency Board of Directors:
Once upon a time, there was a factory where they made things that explode. It was on a 996-acre piece of property in the center of our valley, and people who lived here became accustomed to the sounds of explosions as factory workers tested their wares – military flares, fireworks, munitions and the like.
The Bermite munitions manufacturing plant – later to be known as Whittaker-Bermite – was a key player in the Santa Clarita Valley’s job market, and was also a cog in our nation’s military-industrial complex.
Local residents didn’t think much about it at the time, but making and testing things that explode can be a rather messy business.
We have good news: More than two decades after the last explosion at the Whittaker-Bermite site, we here at the Castaic Lake Water Agency are nearing completion on a much-anticipated water treatment project that will, once and for all, resolve the messy legacy left behind by Whittaker-Bermite.
And, it’s not a fairy tale. The cleanup is, at last, a reality.
Read more of this commentary from the Santa Clarita Signal by clicking here.
Goodrich suit claims EPA hiding perchlorate data
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 30, 2008 at 7:20 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
One of the companies accused of polluting the drinking water in the Rialto area has sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency saying the agency is withholding evidence that supports the company’s case.
Charlotte-based Goodrich Corp. says in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., that EPA has modelling showing the company is not responsible for the contamination.
The EPA is in the process of declaring a 160-acre portion of Rialto a Superfund site because various chemicals, including perchlorate, are flowing through the city and toward Colton and Riverside.
Perchlorate, an ingredient in rocket fuel and fireworks, can adversely affect the human thyroid.
“We believe that EPA has models that exonerate the company,” said Goodrich spokesman Patrick Palmer. “And if they have such models, they shouldn’t hide them.”
Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Editorial: EPA’s decision not to regulate perchlorate based on skimpy science?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 18, 2008 at 1:30 pmFrom the Riverside Press-Enterprise, this editorial:
Federal regulators should use sound science as the basis for determining the risk from chemicals in the water supply. So when the EPA’s scientific advisers question the agency’s rationale for ignoring perchlorate pollution, regulators need to revise their decision.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced last month that it would not set a safety standard for perchlorate in drinking water. A new regulation offered no “meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction,” the agency said. But this month, the EPA’s Science Advisory Board urged the agency to postpone making that preliminary decision final.
Perchlorate, a chemical used in rocket fuel and explosives, can impair thyroid function, and affect brain and nerve development in infants. Perchlorate shows up in 153 drinking water systems nationally. Rialto, Fontana, Redlands, Highland, Corona and northwest Riverside County all have the chemical in water supplies.
Read more of this editorial from the Press-Enterprise by clicking here.
Aquafornia's Information Desk
Aquafornia's Photos on Flickr
Recent Posts
- Saturday’s top of scroll: Science panel says Delta pumping restrictions are justified in California
- Senator Feinstein urges administration to respond to new National Academy of Sciences report on the Delta biological opinions; Calls for greater flexibility, robust adaptive management and integration of federal actions in the Delta
- Boxer statement on National Academy of Sciences’ review of Delta water issues
- Congressman Costa’s response to National Academy of Sciences review of Bay Delta water issues
- Score one for science, says SF Chronicle editorial on NAS findings
- Doug Obegi: National Academy of Sciences confirms that protections for endangered salmon and other species are “scientifically justified”
- Western Growers: 1st NAS Delta water study released, data lacking
- EarthJustice: Top scientists validate restoration plan for California salmon
- Remaining appointees to the Delta Stewardship Council named
- Hearings could set new course for Delta
- Barge-scale cleanup in the Delta
- Nunes on YouTube: “Water torture on Glenn Beck”
- Congresman Cardoza calls on government agencies to address predator fish that hurt Delta smelt and Valley agriculture
- PCL’s Green Roots blog: Californians ask “With 23,000 teachers receiving pink slips, how can we afford an $11.14 billion water bond?”
- Powerful state agency was weak when it came to the Delta
Aquafornia's Mission
Aquafornia's mission is to educate readers about the complex and often controversial issues surrounding water in California.
Aquafornia is affiliated with the Water Education Foundation, an impartial non-profit organization, whose mission is to create a better understanding of water issues and help resolve water resource problems through educational programs.
E-mail Newsletter
To receive email announcements from the Water Education Foundation, sign up here.
Web Resources
Agriculture
Climate Change & Water
Conservation
Delta Resources
Employment & Water
Environmental Organizations
Fishing Blogs
Investing & Water
Landscaping
Legal Blogs
Los Angeles River
News
Salton Sea
Twitter Feeds
Water Agencies
Water Blogs
- Aguanomics
- American Water Resources Assn. Blog
- Barry Nelson at the NRDC Switchboard
- Chance of Rain
- Chronicles of the Hydraulic Brotherhood
- EDF’s On The Waterfront
- Food and Water Watch Blog
- Great Lakes Law Blog
- H2ONCoast Blog
- Inkstain – jfleck
- On the Public Record
- Peter Gleick’s City Brights blog
- Spouting Off – Mark Gold of Heal the Bay
- Thirsty in Suburbia
- Water Cooler Blog
- Water SISWEB
- Water Words That Work
- Waterblogged
- WaterCrunch
- WaterWired
- Western Water Blog
Water Information
News Article Archives
- Agriculture
- Aquafornia Exclusives
- Biofuels
- Bottled water
- Climate change & water supply
- Commentary
- Conservation
- Delta Issues
- Desalination
- Drinking Water
- Drought Tolerant Landscaping
- Drought, Weather & Snowpack
- Events
- Flood Control
- General Water Issues
- Geothermal Energy
- Grandiose water plans
- Great Green Ideas
- Groundwater
- Hydropower
- Indian Water Rights
- Infrastructure
- International Water Issues
- Invasive Species
- Levees
- Monterey Agreements
- National water news
- Oceans and Beaches (all)
- Odds and Ends
- People in the News
- Rainwater Harvesting
- Recycled Water
- Regional Water Issues
- All-American Canal
- Antelope Valley
- Bakersfield
- Bay Area
- Central Coast
- Coachella Valley
- Colorado River Basin
- Imperial Irrigation District & Imperial Valley
- Lake Tahoe & the Sierra's
- Las Vegas & Nevada
- Los Angeles River
- Northern California
- Orange County
- Owens Valley & Mono Lake
- Riverside – San Bernardino
- Sacramento
- Salton Sea
- San Diego
- San Joaquin Valley
- Southern California
- Southwest Water Issues
- Westlands Water District
- Stormwater & Urban Runoff
- Uncategorized
- Water & Development
- Water & Energy
- Water & Investing
- Water & Population
- Water & the Environment
- Water & Wildlife
- Water Agency News (all)
- Water Banking
- Water History
- Water Legislation
- Water Quality
- Water Rights
- Water Storage
- Water Supply
- Water Technologies
- Water Transfers
- Weather Modification
- Weird & Wacky Water News