Money to help with South Valley perchlorate cleanup could arrive
from Washington, D.C., if Rep. Richard Pombo gets his way. Pombo,
R-Tracy, introduced a bill on Friday that would provide $25 million
for long-term cleanup of perchlorate-contaminated groundwater.
Money to help with South Valley perchlorate cleanup could arrive from Washington, D.C., if Rep. Richard Pombo gets his way.
Pombo, R-Tracy, introduced a bill on Friday that would provide $25 million for long-term cleanup of perchlorate-contaminated groundwater. The bill, HR 4459, is called the Llagas Reclamation Groundwater Remediation Initiative and would include federal matching funds for such projects started on or after Jan. 1, 2000.
The bill provides a 65/35 percent match with the higher amount from the federal government and 35 percent from state and local agencies, or private entities. It would be administered by the Secretary of the Interior, working through the Bureau of Reclamation. Money already spent to clean-up contaminated groundwater is eligible for reimbursement.
“Residents in Santa Clara County have been through so much since first affected by contaminated ground water,” said Pombo, chair of the House Resources Committee. “We know it’s there and we need to get it cleaned up. That’s what this bill is about.”
Mike DiMarco, a spokesman for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, said the fund could turn out to be a great resource.
“With the range of (cleanup) estimates between $2 million and $150,000,” DiMarco said Monday, “we’re glad to see this coming.”
The bill has been assigned to committee. If it has not been approved before the second session of the 108th Congress ends in December it will have to be reintroduced during the 109th after the election, said Nicole Taylor, Pombo’s press secretary.
“It’s my hope this bill can serve as a model for other communities facing this problem in the future,” said Pombo.
Widespread contamination of the underground aquifer by perchlorate was discovered in January 2003. The Olin Corp., which operated a highway safety flare plant on Tennant Avenue for 40 years, has assumed responsibility and has been working to identify the character of the plume, potential treatment and groundwater replacement resources.
But the company has not reimbursed either the City of Morgan Hill or the water district for costs stemming from the pollution.
In another development, the science committee assessing the health implications of perchlorate exposure is under attack from California.
Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, the state’s two U.S. Senators, raised concerns recently about the impartiality of two of the members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Committee looking into the health implications of perchlorate exposure throughout the nation.
Perchlorate was discovered to have contaminated the South Santa Clara Valley aquifer, polluting private and public wells in Morgan Hill and San Martin, in early 2003. The perchlorate plume was also discovered in northern Gilroy contaminating a handful or private wells.
Olin Corp., whose highway safety flare manufacturing plant operated for 40 years on Tennant Avenue, has accepted responsibility for the contamination.
In a letter to NAS President Bruce Alberts, Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein said that “records indicate that a financially interested party has funded two of the committee scientists, Richard Bull and Charles Capen.’’
Bull’s conflicts of interest were partially acknowledged only due to external pressure, while Capen’s reported relationship with Lockheed Martin remains unnoted, the Senators wrote.
‘‘This raises serious issues about NAS review of conflict of interest, bias, and balance for this panel.”
The senators went on to say that even the “appearance of conflict of interest or bias undermines NAS’s credibility,” and asked that NAS “fully investigate and disclose and potential conflicts of interests of any panel member immediately.’’
The Feinstein and Boxer letter explained the perchlorate situation and the behind-the-scenes action, ending with a worry about the final results.
“As you know, the widespread contamination of drinking water sources by perchlorate is a significant problem in California and throughout the nation. Perchlorate dissolves easily, moves quickly and persists indefinitely.’’
Even at low concentrations, perchlorate poses serious health threats, including impaired physical and brain development in fetuses and newborns. More than 20 million Americans in 24 states drink perchlorate contaminated water, and contamination is suspected in 19 other states, the letter read.
‘‘Because of this widespread contamination and public interest in perchlorate, it is especially important that NAS avoid any action that could cast doubt on the objectivity of its study,’’ the letter read
The Environmental Protection Agency published its first draft proposed reference dose (RFD) for perchlorate in 1992, and its most recent draft perchlorate RFD in January 2002 with a recommended RFD of 1 ppb (part per billion). This voluminous proposal examined decades of data and hundreds of studies. At the time, EPA said it would finalize a tap water standard for perchlorate by the end of 2002.
“Instead of finalizing a standard, the administration has asked for further study. NAS is currently evaluating studies underlying EPA’s 2002 proposal.
“The committee has met several times, but it appears that critical information relating to conflicts of interest was not adequately disclosed or considered. ”
The monthly Perchlorate Community Advisory Group (PCAG) will meet Thursday, May 27, from 7-9 p.m., at the San Martin Lions Club Hall, 425 Murphy Ave., (behind the airport) in San Martin. Discussion will include Olin’s proposed alternative water supply for contaminated wells. Details: www.smneighbor.org, www.valleywater.org/
