Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
December 3, 2007
4. Water Quality
DRINKING WATER IN
How safe is water from the tap?; Although chemical pollutants had tainted parts of Southern California groundwater, the drinking water is free of solvents - Los Angeles Times
FLUORIDATION:
Water supply changing for many; Fluoridation will begin tomorrow -
Most county residents to get fluoridated water from faucets after long delay - North County Times
MERCURY:
State to clean up mercury from abandoned Upvalley mine -
OIL SPILL:
Oil spill cleanup continues - Eureka Times Standard
SEWAGE SPILL:
Raw sewage pollutes creek - Sacramento Bee
DRINKING WATER IN
How safe is water from the tap?; Although chemical pollutants had tainted parts of Southern California groundwater, the drinking water is free of solvents
By Mary Beckman, special to the Times
FOR years before the mid-1980s, groundwater in parts of
Here's a closer look at what scientists know about the main solvents of concern and their health effects.
Trichloroethylene (TCE) and the related compound tetrachloroethylene, also known as perchloroethylene (PCE or PERC), are industrial solvents still used to clean up grease and to dry-clean clothes. For a long time, their use was unregulated and many companies across the nation disposed of them in such a way that they leached into drinking water sources.
In 1980, the Environmental Protection Agency started a Superfund project to clean up a variety of chemical pollutants. The effort includes getting the perpetrators of improper TCE and PCE disposal, many of them defense contractors, to help remove the worst of the contamination across the country.
What problems do these closely related solvents cause?
Scientists know that TCE can cause cancer -- usually of the kidneys, liver and lungs -- at high doses. They have concluded this from studies on animals that were given contaminated water to drink, as well as from people exposed to TCE through their work or through contaminated drinking water.
They don't yet understand how TCE causes cancer: Researchers studying the question say the process is pretty complicated, and the jury is still out on the exact mechanism.
Peter Preuss, director of the EPA's
But the cancer data are from animal and humans subjected to high doses of TCE. To understand what might happen at lower doses found in the environment, researchers have to extrapolate.
"There's a fair amount of uncertainty," Preuss says. And the kinds of new experiments that are needed to determine whether the levels found in
What about PCE?
Some of the best data on the health effects of these solvents come from Marines based at
Researchers with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry -- a group within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concerned with toxic chemicals -- estimate that in 1985 the PCE in groundwater was at a concentration of approximately 800-1500 parts per billion. That's far above the 5 ppb limit the EPA considers safe.
Over time, PCE breaks down into TCE; the researchers estimated that levels of TCE, which is subject to the same 5-ppb limit as PCE, were as high as 100 ppb.
The Marines drank considerably less of the solvents than were present in the groundwater, however. The water coming out of the water treatment plant contained about 200 ppb of PCE and up to 15 ppb of TCE.
The
Should
Researchers and the EPA say there's no need, because even with the contamination, people in
Not all water sources in the
The treatment systems that clean up water before it reaches people's faucets clear out the TCE, says EPA Superfund project manager David Stensby, who oversees water treatment in one of the Superfund sites, in
The first treatment consists of blowing air through the water. Because TCE is volatile, it catches a ride on the air, and that removes about 98% of the TCE.
The water then flows through activated carbon filters, which removes the remaining solvent. Because the carbon filters can fill up just like carbon filters on home water filtration systems can, the water is checked at various points in the process to make sure there is no TCE.
"Our performance standard is zero, not at the end of the pipe, but before the last carbon filter," Stensby says. He adds that the TCE-filled air also goes through carbon filters before it is released: "The TCE is captured one way or another."
The groundwater being treated this way wasn't being used before treatment. The EPA treatment systems were put in place when cities wanted to use the water from a contaminated source.
In parts of the
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-closer3dec03,1,6314629.story?coll=la-headlines-health
FLUORIDATION:
Water supply changing for many; Fluoridation will begin tomorrow
By Anne Kruger, staff writer
After months of delay, water taps in many parts of
What is fluoridation?
Fluoridation is the addition of a chemical to water to prevent tooth decay. The Metropolitan Water District, which supplies water to
Why is the county getting fluoridated water now?
The Metropolitan Water District decided in 2003 to begin fluoridating its water supply while upgrading its treatment plants.
The district had planned to start fluoridating the treated water it sends to the county in July but delayed it while dealing with construction problems at the facility that serves the county, the Robert A. Skinner plant in Temecula.
The district began fluoridation Oct. 29, with the Skinner plant last on the schedule. Spokesman Bob Muir said yesterday that fluoridation will begin at the Skinner plant tomorrow as planned.
Which areas of the county will receive fluoridated water?
Cities and water agencies that buy treated water from the district will receive fluoridated water. Some customers, such as the city of
Four county agencies that buy only untreated water and treat it themselves will not be fluoridated: the city of
For a map of fluoridation levels around the county, go to sdcwa.org/manage/fluoridation.phtml. For information about the process, go to mwdh2o.com/fluoridation/index.html.
Call your local water agency to determine if your area will be getting fluoridated water.
What are the benefits and concerns about fluoridation?
Proponents call fluoridation “dental insurance in a glass” and say the process reduces cavities and keeps children healthier.
“We feel it's just really, really fantastic. And it's an extremely low cost to keep it going,” said Eleanor Nadler, executive director of the San Diego Fluoridation Coalition, which supports the process.
Opposition has ranged from concerns that fluoridation is an unnecessary government intrusion and causes countless diseases, to more extreme claims of plots to poison the public.
Jeff Green, the San Diego-based national director of Citizens for Safe Drinking Water, which opposes fluoridation, said fluorosilicic acid is not safe and is inadequately tested.
What if I use bottled water or a home filtration device?
Many bottled waters have a less-than-optimal level of fluoride, considered to be 0.7 to 0.8 parts per million. Call the consumer service number on the bottle's label to ask how much fluoride is in the water.
Water distillation units and reverse osmosis systems remove significant amounts of fluoride.
Should I give fluoridated water to my infant?
High levels of fluoride can cause dental fluorosis, a discoloration of the teeth, in young children. The American Dental Association recommends using nonfluoridated water for infants.
Are there plans for other areas in the county to get fluoridated water?
Last month, a commission headed by county Supervisor Ron Roberts voted to allocate $5.7 million in tobacco tax dollars to begin fluoridation at seven water districts, starting with the city of
The cost for the city to fully fluoridate hasn't been determined. #
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20071202/news_1m2fluoride.html
Most county residents to get fluoridated water from faucets after long delay
By Gig Conaughton, staff writer
Sixty-two years after fluoridation was introduced in the
It's a reality that thrills many public health officials and dentists, but infuriates many other people.
Fluoridation proponents, including the California Department of Public Health, the California Dental Association and the
"We're ecstatic; it's only been 12 years," said David Nelson, referring to
"This could reduce the burden of dental decay by as much as 20 percent to 40 percent," he said.
But fluoridation's intense opponents, including
"I've invested in an expensive fluoride removal filter system," said Richard Sauerheber, a chemist and fluoridation opponent who tutors in math and sciences at
In any case, Southern California's main water supplier, the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District, is set to start adding fluoride today to the drinking water supplies churned out by the R.A. Skinner Plant near Temecula.
Metropolitan has already started adding fluoride in its other four treatment plants in the last few months, meaning that nearly 18 million
In San Diego County, some areas don't buy Metropolitan's treated water, and will continue to have little or no fluoridation, including the city of San Diego, Oceanside, Poway, Olivenhain in Encinitas, the Santa Fe Irrigation District, San Dieguito Water District and Chula Vista's Sweetwater Authority. However, those areas could soon be considering fluoridating their supplies. The First Five Commission of San Diego allocated $5.7 million in November to buy fluoridation equipment and supplies.
Metropolitan board members voted to start adding fluoride four years ago in 2003, but waited until after spending billions of dollars to upgrade its five treatment plants to implement fluoride systems .
Long history
Since then, fluoridating community water supplies has been done throughout the country ---- the CDC reported in 2002 that 60.5 percent of all Americans received fluoridated water ---- but it has been slow to come to
The recent push to fluoridate California water supplies dates back at least 12 years, to then-Gov. Pete Wilson signing Assembly Bill 733 into law in 1995. That measure required all water agencies that served more than 10,000 customers to add fluoride to the water "if money became available."
Because the mandate came without money to implement it, many water agencies in
But in 2000, the California Endowment, the state's largest health foundation, put up $15 million for water agencies to use to begin fluoridating. Part of that money was used by the city of
Natural vs. synthetic
Metropolitan plans to add fluoride in amounts of 0.07 to 0.08 parts per million. Public health agencies say fluoridation is safe and effective if done in small amounts, less than 1 part per million.
According to the American Dental Association, fluoride administered topically can stop dental decay and harden tooth enamel to protect it from acidic decay. The association also says that ingested fluoride can remain in saliva to protect teeth.
Fluoride can be a naturally occurring compound, such as calcium fluoride. However, fluorosilicic acid, the fluoridation agent that Metropolitan and many agencies add to their supplies, is a synthetically produced fluoride. Opponents say synthetic fluoride is a dangerous waste product of fertilizer manufacturing companies.
Synthetically created fluorides have been used for decades in toothpaste to reduce cavities.
Still controversial
While fluoridation has been embraced by public health agencies and officials groups such as the National Cancer Institute, and the dental associations ---- in part because they see it as the best way to protect children and adults who can't afford to see dentists on a regular basis ---- it has been, and remains, controversial for many people.
Arguments against fluoridation have ranged from charges that it would be used to make people docile and submissive, to health worries that excessive fluoride consumption could cause everything from fluorosis ---- a mottling of people's teeth ---- to cancer, kidney problems, hip fractures and other problems.
Illustrating the enduring controversy around fluoridation, Metropolitan declined requests to have pictures taken of workers installing the fluoridation system at the Skinner Plant last week. Metropolitan officials said they feared public perception problems if photos showed workers wearing legally required protective clothing.
The American Dental Association also issued a warning this year that infants should not be fed baby formula with fluoridated tap water to protect them from getting too much fluoride. In October,
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/12/03/news/top_stories/20_55_1012_2_07.txt
MERCURY:
State to clean up mercury from abandoned Upvalley mine
By Kerana Todorov, staff writer
An abandoned mine between Calistoga and Middletown is set to be cleaned up to prevent mercury from polluting a creek that drains into Lake Berryessa, according to the Bureau of Land Management.
BLM, which owns the Oat Hill Extension Mine site, wants to prevent mercury found in tailings from the Oat Hill Extension Mine from polluting
The remediation work could be completed in three years, said David Lawler, BLM coordinator for the Abandoned Mine Lands Program, which oversees the cleanup of about 40 abandoned mines in the state.
BLM recently completed a study on how to treat the 500,000 tons of mine waste contaminated with mercury at the 15-acre site, a property accessible by dirt road. It is not the same as the Oat Hill Mine trail popular with hikers and mountain bikers.
The study recommended five solutions to prevent mercury from reaching
Via Putah Creek, the water then reaches the Sacramento River and the fragile Delta system, which drains into the
“It’s part of the mercury problem in the Bay,” said Gary Sharpe, assistant field manager at BLM’s Ukiah field office, which oversees BLM lands in
BLM will make a final recommendation after receiving comments from other agencies and private citizens.
Allison Haines, an environmental engineer with Ecology and Environment Inc. of Boulder, Colo., the BLM consultant who did the study, has recommended consolidating the tailings at the mine, which has been closed since the 1940s, and capping the material with 12 inches of soil so that rain water will not reach the material and drain into James Creek, said Haines and BLM representatives.
This cleanup solution will cost about $3.7 million, according to the report. The project would also entail the construction of diversion ditches to drain potentially contaminated water away from the creek.
Haines recommended this over more expensive alternatives. The most expensive solution, estimated at $31.6 million, entails transporting 7,000 truckloads of tailings to a site that accepts mercury-contaminated materials.
The BLM will work on the remediation project with the Livermore Family trust, owners of a nearby ranch where tailings have also been left behind. The owners place hydromulch on steep hills near the BLM site and build water diversion trenches to prevent mercury from reaching the creek below, said ranch partner John Livermore.
“We all have to work together on this thing,” said Livermore, 89, who used to come to the area as a child and remembers the Oat Hill Extension Mine when it was operating.
However, he wonders when the work will be done, given the limited budget BLM has.
Lawler, of the BLM’s Abandoned Mine Lands Program, said the work would be phased over a couple of years.
Peter Morris, a senior engineer with the board, whose jurisdiction extends to sections of
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2007/12/02/news/local/doc47524f533305c161371099.txt
OIL SPILL:
Oil spill cleanup continues
By John Driscoll, staff writer
Agencies worked Friday to determine the extent of the damage from a oil spill caused by a tanker truck's fall from a bridge on Freshwater Creek, and began to form a plan for the weeks and months ahead.
Kris Wiese with the California Department of Fish and Game's Oil Spill Prevention and Response Program said there is still a visible sheen in the areas below the spill site. Some lubricating oils may prove to be more persistent than the diesel that spilled, Wiese said, and rains expected over the next few days could wash the pollutants out to
Wiese said that Fish and Game, the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and other agencies are moving from an emergency response mode to longer-term management of the situation.
The Steve Wills Trucking tanker on Wednesday at about 9 p.m. fell off the bridge, part of which apparently collapsed under the truck's front tires. It was on its way to service vehicles used in logging on Pacific Lumber Co. property. The two people in the truck were not seriously hurt.
About 120 gallons of diesel fuel and other lubricating oils spilled into the creek, but little fuel apparently leaked from the 1,500 gallon tank it carried. The truck was pulled from the creek Thursday afternoon.
Wiese credited Steve Wills Trucking and oil spill contractor Northcoast Environmental Construction for a rapid response.
”Their initial actions minimized the extent of the spill,” Wiese said.
But diesel is particularly harmful to birds and wildlife. Richard Golightly with Humboldt State University's Wildlife Care Center -- which handles oiled wildlife during spills -- said the effects of oil in a creek may be particularly difficult to ascertain, compared to on a bay or lake, because it's not as easy to observe wildlife.
Fish can be prone to diesel when it is churned up in riffles. It also takes very little diesel to get into the feathers of birds, and river otters can swallow it when grooming themselves.
”Diesel is extremely nasty stuff to ingest,” Golightly said.
While diesel can kill quickly, it generally only hangs around for a few days, he said. Heavier lubricating oil may persist, however.
Freshwater residents who get their water from the creek are being warned not to drink the water until public health officials give the all-clear. Brian Cox with the Humboldt County Public Health Department's Environmental Health Division said that a handful of people rely on the creek for drinking water, while others have municipal connections but use creek water for irrigating or supplying animals. He hopes to have water samples by next week to determine if the water is safe.
Cox said that oyster beds in
Exactly how long a full cleanup will take is not clear, Cox said.
”It's hard to assess how long it's going to take,” he said.
Crews will continue to clean up using booms and absorbent pads until that no longer proves effective, Wiese said.
”At some point nature's going to have to take its course,” he said. #
http://www.times-standard.com//ci_7609069?IADID=Search-www.times-standard.com-www.times-standard.com
SEWAGE SPILL:
Raw sewage pollutes creek
By Crystal Carreon, staff writer
Anita Yoder, a spokeswoman with
Crews managed to cap the line in the afternoon, and when Yoder viewed the creek at 5 p.m., she said crews were still actively cleaning up. She said they were to return this morning.
Earlier Saturday, county officials had cautioned area residents from using significant amounts of water.
It was unclear late Saturday if that notice remained in effect, but Yoder said it is important for residents and their pets to stay out of the water.
"The best judgment is: Stay out of the creek," she said Saturday night. #
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/536405.html
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