Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
October 17, 2007
4. Water Quality -
$400 million claim about tainted water at jail being reviewed by county counsel
By VICTOR A. PATTON
In a related move, on Tuesday the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to negotiate a contract for the design of a treatment system that will put the jail's drinking water in compliance with federal regulations.
The huge claim, filed by attorney Barry Bennett, alleges that county officials knew the jail's drinking water "exhibited a dangerous level of arsenic contamination" since November 2004 -- but failed to take any action to correct the problem or notify county employees.
Mark Hendrickson, county spokesman, said the claim was received at the county clerk's office last Thursday and is being reviewed by the
Bennett said earlier this month that county employees who may have consumed food prepared using water at the correctional facility are also included in the claim, which is why Marie Greens Facility is listed in the claim.
The claim names several county department heads and officials as responsible, including Sheriff Mark Pazin, Director of Public Works Paul Fillebrown, Assistant County Executive Officer Jim Brown and the
In response to the charges, Hendrickson repeated county officials' assertion that the levels of arsenic in the jail's water system don't pose a threat to human health. He added that the
The decision about whether to accept or reject the claim will eventually fall to the Board of Supervisors. "The county has been very clear from the start, in that there was no health hazard in the past, there is currently no health hazard and we are doing everything to prevent one from coming about in the future," Hendrickson said.
Within recent weeks Bennett said he's received three to four phone calls a day from current and former county employees worried about arsenic in the drinking water. He said he has been referring those individuals to a
Meanwhile, the Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to authorize a $600,000 contract with Phoenix, Ariz.-based Carollo Engineers to design an arsenic removal treatment system for the jail.
Dee Tatum, the county executive officer, said the county would get the project done in 180 days. "It's not acceptable for us not to come in line with the plan that's laid out," Tatum said.
Bennett said the actions of the Board of Supervisors in approving the treatment system don't go far enough to address the problem. "Apparently they think three years is an appropriate amount of time to respond," Bennett said.
The arsenic issue came to light after the county's Division of Environmental Health issued a violation on Sept. 24 to the Department of Public Works, the agency responsible for supplying water to the jail.
Tests conducted on the wells in May and August by a county contractor concluded that the arsenic levels are above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's standard of 10 parts per billion for arsenic in drinking water -- a standard that took effect Jan. 23, 2006. The federal government's previous standard for arsenic in drinking water was 50 parts per billion.
Until a new filtration system is installed at the jail, the facility is using water from the well with the lowest arsenic levels, which are at 13.5 parts per billion. The arsenic levels for the water in two unused wells are 45.7 and 37.8 parts per billion.
Arsenic is a semimetal element that is odorless and tasteless. It enters drinking water supplies from natural deposits in the earth or from agricultural and industrial practices, according to the EPA's Web site.#
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/167/story/56541.html
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