Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
March 19, 2008
4. Water Quality
WATER CONTAMINATION ISSUES:
Bakersfield, other cities suing chemical companies over water contamination - Bakersfield Californian
Banned chemical from farm products taints some
MENDOCINO
County says drugs in our water not a likely worry - Ukiah Daily Journal
SEWAGE SPILL:
Raw sewage spills into 2 creeks - Grass Valley Union
WATER CONTAMINATION ISSUES:
By Stacey Shepard and James Geluso, staff writers
A recent lawsuit filed by the city and California Water Service Company over detection of a suspected carcinogen in drinking water supplies is just the latest in a series of suits statewide.
The chemical, 1,2,3-Trichloropropane, has been found at extremely low levels in about 60 of the 200 wells owned by the City of Bakersfield and California Water Service Company, according to Cal Water spokeswoman Shannon Dean.
Statewide, the chemical has surfaced in about 85 water systems in 16 counties, according to the California Department of Public Health. It is believed to have come from pesticide applications.
Despite the detection, the water is safe to drink and meets all state and federal guidelines, local water officials said. The lawsuit is an attempt to recoup costs for a filtration system before a statute of limitations expires, water officials said.
“This is for the longterm protection of our customers,” Dean said. “It shouldn’t be there and we don’t think our customers should pay for taking it out.”
The concentration of the chemical found in local wells is low — up to 30 parts per trillion, according to California Water Company’s 2006 annual water quality report for the Bakersfield area.
No safe level of 1,2,3-Trichloropropane in water has been set by state or federal regulators but water suppliers must report detection whenever they are more than 5 parts per trillion. Suppliers must take further steps if the concentration reaches 500 parts per trillion.
1,2,3-Trichloropropane, or 123-TBC as it’s known, was manufactured by Shell Oil and Dow Chemical, the companies named in the lawsuit. It occurred in soil fumigant applied to farm land to control pests, but served no agricultural purpose and wasn’t removed from the fumigant until the 1980s, according to Vic Sher, the San Francisco lawyer representing the city and Cal Water in the lawsuit.
In animal tests, TCP causes cancer, liver and kidney damage and blood disorders, according to the suit. The chemical does not stick to soil, but instead seeps slowly down through soil into the groundwater, the suit says.
Sher said about 10 other communities in
Similar suits have been filed in
But Dow Chemical says the chemical isn’t as dangerous as it’s being made out to be.
“The TCP levels in question are not in violation of any established government health standards,” Jarod D. Davis, a spokesman for Dow, wrote in an e-mail. “The concerns about TCP raised in the lawsuit are based on tests conducted more than a decade ago. In these tests, laboratory animals were dosed at levels that were well in excess of any potential human exposure from the trace levels in water, which are the subject of this litigation.”
Although the suit names “manufacturers, distributors and releasors” of the chemical, Sher said the farmers who applied the chemicals are not a target of the lawsuit.
The different cases are being coordinated in
http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/392542.html
Banned chemical from farm products taints some
Channel 29 News (
Up to a quarter of the water wells around Bakersfield are showing trace amounts of a banned chemical, and officials say the health risk is extremely low. But they're suing the companies that made the chemical, hoping to get funds to pay for any treatment that might be required in the future.
As Eyewitness News first reported Monday, the City of
It's now being found in about 15-percent of the City's water wells, and about a quarter of the Cal-Water wells.
"Our water meets public health water quality standards,"
Core says TCP was used in farm fumigants, and it was banned 30 years ago. "But, it's now showing up in the supplies and in part it's because the detection methods are much more sensitive now that they've been in the past."
Measurements are now so sensitive, they pick up traces of the chemical in the parts per trillion. What do
"It's scary," says Albert Alire. "They should have known this a long time ago about this."
"As long as my health isn't in jeopardy, I'm not too worried about it," says
How much of the chemical is a health danger? Core says it's low at the level now being seen in the wells around
But, Core says the state is now reviewing what the standards should be for TCP, and that's the reason the actions are being taken against Dow Chemical and Shell Oil makers of the chemical.
'In order to stay ahead of the curve, the city is acting now by filing this suit," says attorney Victor Sher. He's the environmental law specialist who's working on the lawsuit for the city and Cal-Water.
Eyewitness News reached Sher by phone in his
Core says the problem with TCP is showing up in areas where wells are being drilled over former farmland.
Eyewitness News contacted both Dow Chemical and Shell Oil. Shell has not responded.
Dow sent an e-mail. It states: "The TCP levels in question are not in violation of any established government health standards. The concerns about TCP raised in the lawsuit are based on tests conducted more than a decade ago."
The e-mail also says it's Dow's position that in those tests, the lab animals were dosed at levels far above any possible human exposure from the trace levels in water.
What should people do about this chemical in the drinking water? Florn Core says it's not necessary to boil the water. He says that would not remove this type of contamination and again, he says the levels of TCP being found are very low, and not considered a risk.
But, both the city and Cal-Water say the state may eventually set requirements for extremely low levels of TCP. They also worry the chemical could end up in even more wells it could migrate into more wells.
That's why they're suing the chemical-makers in case expensive treatment might be required to get rid of the TCP. Core says that could cost up to a million dollars each for any affected well.
But, no matter what happens, Core asserts the city will take whatever steps are needed to insure the safety of the well water. "If we need to get emergency treatment on these wells, we'll do so. But there is no danger to the water supplies at this point." #
http://www.eyeoutforyou.com/news/local/16801561.html
MENDOCINO
County says drugs in our water not a likely worry
Ukiah Daily Journal – 3/19/08
By Zack Sampsel, staff writer
Without waste water treatment plants upstream dumping treated liquids back into the water supply, county officials say it's unlikely you'll be drinking water with a side of Viagra any time soon.
"In outlying rural areas, I suppose there's always the potential for ground water contamination, but I don't think it would be pharmaceuticals and I don't think it would be enough to cause problems," said Roland Sanford, general manager with the County Water Agency.
The Associated Press conducted a five-month investigation into the quality of water throughout the nation and found antibiotics, mood stabilizers and sex hormones, among other pharmaceuticals in the drinking water supplies of more than 41 million American homes. But with a small population and lack of multiple wastewater treatment plants, it appears the county's water supply isn't in immediate danger.
"The primary source of this contamination is from waste water plants discharging," said Bill Koehler, general manager with Redwood Valley Water District. "With no wastewater plants upstream from us, I don't foresee a big problem."
Koehler said the concern for finding contaminates in the water is ever present, but the possibility of drinking water polluted with Viagra, Paxil or Prozac in
"I think it's much lower probability here," Koehler said. "Certainly people with septic tanks flush drugs, but then the drugs have much longer to biodegrade. In my opinion, it's much less of a concern because we don't have treated waste water going into the water supply."
But humans aren't the only ones using the water.
The AP's investigation showed there is evidence that some animals are seriously affected. Problems and symptoms vary, but pharmaceuticals in the water are being linked to reproductive problems in many types of fish. For example, the endangered razorback sucker and male fathead minnow have been found with lower sperm counts and damaged sperm, and the reproductive problems aren't limited to the females either. The AP's study showed that some female fish have developed male genital organs as a result of contamination.
Koehler and Sanford said they hadn't received any complaints of sick aquatic life, but that if the issue were brought up it would be something to address.
Until then,
"I think right now it's still a matter of having a water supply,"
While
"The public has a right to know what EPA is doing now to protect our families and communities from drugs in our drinking water, and what they are planning to do to address this problem in the future," Boxer said.
The senators sent the letter in advance of an Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on the issue scheduled for early April. #
SEWAGE SPILL:
Raw sewage spills into 2 creeks
Grass Valley
By Dave Moller, staff writer
Residents are being urged to stay out of Matson Creek and
As of late Tuesday, however, the area had not been posted to warn passersby.
The warning came after a miscommunication between the city and county about the spill, according to County Environmental Health Director Wesley Nicks. Grass Valley Deputy Director of Public Works Rick Beckley said he was surprised the county didn't ask for a safety warning be posted about the stream right away.
An Environmental Health Department worker, Gabriel Herrera, responded to the spill, Nicks said.
"He was under the impression there was no other spillage other than what was in the street," Nicks said.
Herrera deferred to Nicks for comment.
Thinking there was no other public exposure, Herrera did not order any other procedures, Nicks said.
"There may have been a little slip there," Nicks said. "We're reviewing our procedures with
Even if Herrera had known about the creek spillage, the 500 gallons of sewage was not enough to trigger an automatic alert, Nicks said.
Regulations call for a sewage spill going into a stream to be 1,000 gallons or more before it has to be posted, Hicks said. Proposed state legislation would reduce the amount to 500 gallons, he added.
A blocked manhole caused the overflow about 6 p.m. Monday on
The area was washed down and sprayed with betadyne, a disinfectant that does not harm fish,
"The health department usually shows up and usually directs us to post,"
The city issued the e-mail warning at 9 a.m. Tuesday as a courtesy to Wolf Creek Community Alliance members and others in the community who seek information quickly after spills,
After contacting official agencies about the spill Monday night, the city had difficulty getting the community e-mail notices out until the next morning, he said.
Another notice will be issued when the creek is determined to be safe, said Linda Quinn of the city's public works department. Water testing results to determine the safety will take until at least April 1 to process, Quinn said. #
http://www.theunion.com/article/20080319/NEWS/372062302
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