Bill would authorize federal funding for groundwater
Morgan Hill – A Senate bill that could pump $25 million into groundwater cleanup efforts in Santa Clara County and parts of Southern California could become law later this week after passing the House floor Monday.
While the bill doesn’t specifically mention perchlorate – the notorious industrial byproduct that’s turned Olin Corporation into a household name among South County well drinkers – portions of it reflect language drafted by Congressman Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein to apply for ongoing perchlorate remediation efforts in Santa Clara County as well as in the Santa Ana Watershed.
If approved, S-203 would authorize $25 million in federal funding to clean up contaminated groundwater in the service area of the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the Santa Ana Watershed. It would provide grants equaling 65 percent of total funding for clean-up projects, requiring a 35 percent match from state and local agencies – or the private sector.
Alleged polluters such as Olin would not be eligible for federal matching funds.
Pombo Press Secretary Lucas Frances said the intent of the bill is to provide extra money for widespread environmental problems.
“This is just a way of speeding up the process, ensuring additional clean up gets done,” Frances said. “We worked with the (Santa Clara Valley) Water District to ensure they would be able to request funds.”
Pombo, chair of the House Resources Committee, first introduced the bill last year. The legislation failed, but portions of it are now included in a hodgepodge bill called the “National Heritage Areas Act of 2005.”
If approved, the bill would create a fund administered by the Secretary of the Interior, working through the Bureau of Reclamation, to help pay for groundwater remediation.
Municipalities within the water district would have access to the funds, which could be applied retroactively. Federal funds would be available for 10 years.
Morgan Hill City Manager Ed Tewes, who has been following the bill from afar, said he was eager to learn whether the City of Morgan Hill could be reimbursed for some of the $3 million spent on municipal well head treatment over the last three years. Olin is not responsible at this time for cleaning up groundwater in Morgan Hill. Instead, residents pay a 15 percent surcharge on their water bills for filtration systems on municipal wells.
San Martin resident Sylvia Hamilton, chairwoman of the Perchlorate Community Advisory Group, said the bill could set a national precedent if passed by the Senate and signed by President George W. Bush.
“This shows the federal government is beginning to recognize that this is a problem that needs to be addressed,” she said. “We cannot bury our heads in the sand and wait. Perchlorate, once it gets down in the ground, moves quickly.”
The 9.5-mile perchlorate plume in South County water table has taken years to map out. Olin’s engineers are still attempting to fully investigate the scope of the pollution before proposing a state-mandated clean-up plan later this summer.
The plume stretches south from a now-closed road flare plant on Tennant Avenue. Perchlorate is a type of salt that can conflict with healthy thyroid activity if consumed at high volumes. Water officials say concentrations of perchlorate have dropped within safe levels in most parts of South County, but Olin is still responsible for cleaning the watertable.
Water District Spokesman Mike DiMarco said the idea of the legislation is to get federal help for clean-up tasks that Olin might not be required to do, such as enhancing groundwater recharge operations and implementing municipal well head treatment. Gilroy, he said, which is interested in keeping the perchlorate plume from spreading further westward into city limits, could use the funds for digging sentry wells, for example.
“We don’t know what Olin’s final clean-up plan will be,” DiMarco said. “It may not be adequate. That’s where the value of outside money comes in. If there are community needs not met by the cleanup plan, it could help bridge the gap.”
Tony Burchyns covers Morgan Hill for The Times. Reach him at (408) 779-4106 ext. 201 or tb*******@mo*************.com.
