Maybe your water faucet should carry a health warning. Our
drinking water is at serious risk of contamination by Pacific Gas
& Electronic Company’s toxic waste.
The corporation, made infamous by Erin Brockovich, is again
making headlines. The carcinogen chromium-6, which is used in
PG&E’s Topock natural gas compressor station, has been
found only 125 feet from the Colorado River Aqueduct, a major Los
Angeles water source.
Though PG&E has begun pumping 20,000 gallons of polluted
groundwater a day out of the region, at this rate, 14 years would
pass before the estimated 108 million gallons of contaminated water
are extracted.
California’s water source needs immediate attention.
Although a Consultative Working Group was formed to address the
issue, environmentalists such as The Sierra Club and CalPIRG are
legitimately concerned the state and PG&E may be moving too
slowly.
From 1951 to 1964, PG&E dumped approximately six million to
10 million gallons of waste water into percolation beds near their
plant. According to reports in the San Bernardino County Sun, the
company knew the chromium-tainted plume was moving toward the
Colorado River for years, but only began to address the issue last
month when the Department of Toxic Substances Control pressured
PG&E to start extraction.
“The extraction could take years to complete, so maybe
more drastic measures need to be made,” said CalPIRG member
and Water Watch Volunteer Katherine Starros, a first-year
anthropology student.
How can California save its water now? The Metropolitan Water
Department is pushing for the physical installation of an
underground barrier, or slurry wall, about 2,000 feet long and 150
feet deep because it is “the best way to address the plume in
the river,” according to Bob Muir, Metropolitan Water
District spokesperson.
In the past, similar projects have proved relatively
successful. Cheaper than pump-and-treat systems, these barriers
offer inexpensive long-term maintenance and can be easily modified
to treat different contaminants. According to the Los Angeles
Times, a PG&E official said a wall “looks to be a
promising technique.”
But one slurry wall should not end the battle. Other imminent
problems with state and national water quality must be addressed.
Although California water meets most government safety standards,
it is far from perfect. In the nation as a whole, according to the
National Resources Defense Council Web site, the Environmental
Protection Agency found that roughly 25 percent of all large
industrial plants and water-treatment facilities violate pollution
standards. The NDRC also found that L.A. drinking water may be in
danger from a combination of old waterworks and pollution.
CalPIRG’s “Water Watch” has worked on numerous
campaigns related to water contamination.
“As a part of California, which is really a pioneer for
environmental policies, it’s really a shame that Los Angeles
is this dirty. Los Angeles is lagging in clean air, clean water,
public transportation,” said CalPIRG Hunger &
Homelessness Coordinator Sarah Tin, a third-year English
student.
The public voice must be heard by companies and politicians
alike if Los Angeles is to see better water. As an imperative first
step, inspectors need to conduct more thorough water inspections
and more quickly to deal with impending problems. If the toxic
plume was discovered years ago, perhaps California would not need
to approach the issue with such expensive and urgent measures.
The struggle for clean water can’t begin or end with
California water. The Colorado River flows though five states, and
its water controlled by a combination of old agreements and new
regulations.
Because of the complexity of water politics, the federal
government must help states deal with pollution problems.
So far, it has allowed companies that are similar to PG&E to
buy “pollution credit,” a practice allowing them to
continue polluting. Moreover, the Bush administration is proposing
removal of the Clean Water Act protection from many areas, which
would render them vulnerable to unlimited waste dumping. Such
measures would only make more regions prone to the type of toxic
plume that now threatens public health in Los Angeles. Voters must
also oppose these dirty water policies.
We take our access to clean water for granted. But with
PG&E’s ineffective plans for improvement and the Bush
administration’s negligence of water quality, little is
improving and much needs to be done.
Fried is a first-year history student. E-mail her at
ifried@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to
viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.