Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
August 6, 2007
4. Water Quality
PERCHLORATE:
Perchlorate issues plague Rialto - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Editorial:
STORM WATER ISSUES:
New bill aims to help cities with storm water - Inside Bay Area
PERCHLORATE:
Perchlorate issues plague Rialto
By Jason Pesick, staff writer
Jerry Deischer's thyroid gland doesn't function. He has to be given testosterone, artificial growth hormones and drugs that boost his weak immune system.
He uses a wheelchair, wears supportive gear, has mild mental retardation, hearing loss and at 22, can't speak.
Marene's two older children who were born in
But she lived in
She can't think of anything that she did wrong.
"All I did was drink water," said Deischer, a volunteer member of the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice.
A great deal of energy has been spent trying to clean up perchlorate, but no one really knows exactly how the contamination has affected people's health in the area.
City Councilman Ed Scott now wants a thorough study done of the area to figure that out.
"It's just something that we clearly do not know right now," he said, noting that he has a 10-year-old whose health he worries about.
As a rule, local agencies no longer serve water containing perchlorate.
The health effects of perchlorate are not well understood, but a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study said that even at low levels, perchlorate can interfere with the functioning of the thyroid gland.
Thyroid problems in women can affect the development of their unborn babies, though perchlorate's direct effect on fetal development has not been thoroughly studied.
The perchlorate is flowing south into
Federal lawsuits demanding cleanup are slowly moving forward in court. Later this month, a state board will hear arguments and could order three companies to clean up the contamination.
Scott said a university like
He said he has talked about getting funding for a study with Rep. Joe Baca, D-Rialto; state Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod, D-Montclair; and representatives for Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter, D-Rialto.
If a study finds perchlorate has caused health problems to local residents, he said those residents would have an easier time suing the parties suspected of causing the contamination.
But conducting such a study would not be easy.
If someone can come up with a good proposal for a study, the federal government would be the likely source of funds, said Ken August, California Department of Public Health spokesman, via e-mail.
The whole process can take up to 10 years, and it could cost anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, he wrote.
A study would not be easy because researchers do not have a good handle on the individuals who drank the contaminated water.
Also, a number of factors besides perchlorate could affect people's health in the area.
Comparing rates of thyroid problems in different areas could provide some insight, said. But the complexity of comparing different communities facing a number of different variables could make it hard to draw any good conclusions.
Davin Diaz, of the environmental justice group, said he thinks a study is a good idea, but the top priority should be making sure people aren't exposed to perchlorate.
"I think it's extremely important that we don't make it the end-all, be-all," he said of a study.
Negrete McLeod said she doesn't recall speaking with Scott about a study but it doesn't sound like a bad idea. She questioned the specifics, like how it would be conducted and funded.
In a statement, Baca said he hasn't talked to Scott about the issue but is "willing to explore all avenues to address this issue and ensure clean water for the Inland area." #
http://www.dailybulletin.com//ci_6547924?IADID=Search-www.dailybulletin.com-www.dailybulletin.com
Editorial:
After finding little relief at either the federal or regional level, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency held back and the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control board faltered, the city now has its sights set on the state hearing, where the state Water Resources Control Board is prosecuting three of the alleged corporate polluters. They are accused of indiscriminately dumping perchlorate, the main ingredient in rocket fuel and other explosives, which has seeped into the groundwater, without doing anything about it.
Hence, a six-mile-long plume of perchlorate is steadily advancing under the city, toward
On the west end, it is coming from the Mid-Valley Sanitary Landfill, which San Bernardino County bought and supervisors have belatedly accepted responsibility for - albeit, largely because Rialto won a cleanup and abatement order from the regional water board in November 2005 that forced the issue. On the east end, perchlorate flows from a site used over the years by B.F. Goodrich Corp., Emhart Corp. (now Black & Decker Inc.) and Pryo Spectaculars, as well as other manufacturers.
Goodrich, Black & Decker and Pryo Spectaculars will be on the stand at the hearing in two weeks - along with 15 expert witnesses.
The well-heeled companies have delayed that hearing four times so far. But
The city's strategy is simple: to present enough evidence, accumulated through intensive - albeit, expensive - investigation, to show that the suspected corporate polluters are the ones responsible for fouling the groundwater. And that they should not only clean up the perchlorate, but pay for it as well. The total could reach $300 million.
Local agencies already have shut down contaminated wells or established wellhead treatment, so it's not as if residents are drinking bad water. But the cleanup is costly. And it could be never-ending - unless the perchlorate is stopped in its tracks.
That's where
But despite its focused outlook, the city has run into many a brick wall. Which is not to say that it isn't justified in trying to get those who actually dumped the perchlorate to pay for the cleanup - rather than having residents and ratepayers continue to foot the bill.
And, indeed, the companies responsible need to step up to the plate and accept that charge. They need to become good corporate citizens and do what's right - not only for the sake of their communities, but the sake of their own integrity.
The health and well-being of thousands is in their hands. Perchlorate is a threat to functioning of the thyroid and possibly mental and nervous-system development.
For
http://www.dailybulletin.com//ci_6546468?IADID=Search-www.dailybulletin.com-www.dailybulletin.com
STORM WATER ISSUES:
New bill aims to help cities with storm water
Inside Bay Area – 8/5/07
By Sasha Vasilyuk, MediaNews staff
Last month, state Sens. Leland Yee and Tom Torlakson introduced a new bill which would allow local agencies to assess small fees for storm water and urban runoff management in order to clean up creeks, bays, and oceans from storm drain pollution.
"These storm waters and urban runoff damage our habitat and cause bloom," said Yee. "There needs to be some kind of program to address this problem."
The bill aims to help cities that let storm water run straight into the ocean without processing it in the same way as sewage and house water. Untreated storm water often carries not only garbage from the streets, but also less visible but more deadly substances like pesticides, restaurant oil, and car wash chemicals.
Fortunately, the more forward-thinking
The city has restored wetlands around the Calera Creek Water Treatment Plant,
"We're doing a pretty darn good job at it due to some progressive minds," said Collection Systems Manager Brian Martinez.
Although these projects are now being set as an example by the Regional Water Quality Control Board, Mayor Pete DeJarnatt said the city will need the revenue from storm water fees because the projects are currently supported by grants.
The fees assessed through this measure would also be used for flood control, another area tightly connected to urban runoff.
"Every winter, we're faced with flooding and, unfortunately, given the demands within local governments, they don't have resources to take care of the flooding," said Yee. "We put them in a difficult position, giving them responsibilities, but not the resources."
DeJarnatt supports the bill and says that it will help not only with waterway protection and flooding, but with covering fees that the state charges for any environmental damage.
"We're working on this a lot more than other cities, but it behooves us to stay ahead of the curve if we can," the mayor said. "In five years, the rules will be much more rigorous than now." #
http://www.insidebayarea.com//ci_6550055?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
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