[Water_news] 4. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: WATER QUALITY - 4/9/08

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment

 

April 9, 2008

 

4. Water Quality

 

PERCHLORATE:

Counting on water cleanup; Colton council approves transfer of $4 million to wastewater fund - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

 

GROUNDWATER CLEANUP:

U.S. to pay $250,000 over groundwater pollution - Sacramento Bee

 

 

PERCHLORATE:

Counting on water cleanup; Colton council approves transfer of $4 million to wastewater fund

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin – 4/8/08

By Jason Pesick, staff writer

 

RIALTO - The headaches continue to mount over the city's water cleanup expenses.

 

In order to better address water contamination expenses, the City Council on April 1 unanimously approved moving $4million from the water fund to the wastewater fund.

 

The money can be used to get harmful chemicals, perchlorate and industrial cleaners out of the local water supply.

 

The moving of the money shows the council expects the costs to continue to add up for engineering, investigation, lawyers and cleanup.

 

"I know that we have to continue to watch the billing," Councilman Joe Baca Jr. said.

 

The harmful chemicals have been flowing through the local water supply from industrial sites on the city's north end dating back to World War II.

 

No contaminated water is being served to residents, officials said.

 

San Bernardino County has already settled with the city and will clean up some contamination.

 

But the city is struggling to hold other suspected polluters responsible.

 

At last count, perchlorate-related costs for the city are about $20 million, Councilwoman Winnie Hanson said.

 

The results of an audit of expenses conducted on perchlorate-related matters last year have not yet been released.

 

Some city officials said they do not want to make the expenses public out of fear that it could reveal their legal strategy to suspected polluters.

 

A surcharge on water bills paid by customers of the city's water department brings in about $2.5 million a year for the perchlorate effort.

 

That amount hasn't been enough, officials say.

 

In 2006, the council moved $5 million from general-fund reserves to fund the perchlorate effort.

 

"We've gone through quite a bit," Baca said.

 

The latest infusion of $4 million cannot be spent without council approval.

 

At the end of the last fiscal year, the water fund had about $5.4 million in unrestricted funds available.

 

In recent months, the council has insisted on approving individual perchlorate-related expenses in closed session.

 

"We just decided that we need to be personally involved with each step," said Hanson, a council perchlorate subcommittee member.

 

Baca said the city is trying to do more work in-house.

 

"The expenses have slowed down," he said. "We've kept a closer eye on it.

 

"Before, we didn't have any input."

 

Baca called for continuing to try to settle with suspected polluters and to get regulatory agencies to issue orders to get suspected polluters to provide the city with clean water.

 

The costs need to be kept in perspective, Hanson said.

 

"It's all relative." she said. "What is your health worth? What is your clean water worth?" #
http://www.dailybulletin.com/search/ci_8858147?IADID=Search-www.dailybulletin.com-www.dailybulletin.com

 

 

GROUNDWATER CLEANUP:

U.S. to pay $250,000 over groundwater pollution

Sacramento Bee – 4/9/08

By Denny Walsh, staff writer

 

The federal government has agreed to pay California-American Water Co. $250,000 to defray the company's costs of cleaning up hazardous waste found in one of its drinking water wells in Rancho Cordova.

 

The government has also agreed to undertake renewed testing at the well and, if further pollution at a certain level is detected, provide treatment of the water at the wellhead or an alternative source of clean water.

 

The well, on Mars Way in the Lincoln Village area of Rancho Cordova, was fouled by groundwater pollution emanating from the former Mather Air Force Base east of it.

 

The pact's terms are set out in a consent decree that Cal-Am and the government are asking U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton to approve and in a separate settlement agreement.

 

The judge's approval of the consent decree would resolve a legal dispute that began in November 2005 when Cal-Am sued the federal government to recover its costs. The government later countersued.

 

In settling, the government admits no liability.

 

Cal-Am is an investor-owned, Chula Vista-based utility that provides water to residents and businesses in several parts of the state. In the Sacramento area, it obtains much of its water from wells.

 

In November 1989, the Air Force base was placed on the National Priorities List as a so-called "Superfund" site, one of the most polluted in the nation. The base was decommissioned in 1993.

 

The Air Force, with concurrence of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state, has been investigating and remediating soil and groundwater contamination at the site. #

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/848796.html

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