Post by news on Oct 11, 2004 5:53:36 GMT -8
'Big Daddy' of purifiers
Eight companies identified by EPA as major offenders helped fund facility
By Karen Rubin
Staff Writer
Sunday, October 10, 2004 - BALDWIN PARK -- A $37 million water-treatment plant that turns polluted groundwater into something residents can drink from the tap is set to open in January.
The plant belongs to the Valley County Water District, which provides water to Baldwin Park, Azusa, Irwindale and West Covina.
The new plant is the "Big Daddy' of the four treatment facilities because it attacks the worst portion of pollution floating in the groundwater. It also will pump the majority of its clean water through a 5-mile pipeline to residents in West Covina.
"This plant goes after the source of contamination,' said Wayne Praskins, project manager for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "The other plants cleaned less polluted groundwater. This plant will clean the most polluted groundwater in Baldwin Park.'
The treatment process is in the testing phase. Last week, officials hosted a dedication ceremony at the plant's 5120 Lante St. site in Baldwin Park.
Before the plant is up and running, it will cost $40 million to complete, officials said. The federal government contributed $13.5 million through legislation earmarked for the San Gabriel Valley. But eight companies identified by the EPA in 2002 as water polluters paid $23.5 million toward the building of this plant, officials said.
Those companies are Aerojet- General Corp., Allied Waste Co., Fairchild Holding Corp., Reinhold, Inc., Hartwell Corp., Oil & Solvent Processing, Wynn Oil Corp. and Huffy Corp.
A long fight From 1999 to 2002, these companies fought the EPA as to who polluted when. Most of the companies believed they were unfairly targeted by the EPA, said attorney Norman Dupont, who represented Reinhold during the mediation.
"Some of the chemicals found were used by dry cleaners, but not a single dry cleaner was forced to pay,' Dupont said. "The EPA looked the other way and did not want to go through the hassle of negotiations with the smaller companies.'
The EPA picks on larger companies, Dupont said, because they are more sophisticated than a mom-and-pop dry- cleaning business.
"Everyone was faced with the bleak alternative of do you continue fighting and face years of extremely expensive litigation,' he said. "We were between a rock and a hard place.'
EPA officials disagreed.
"We identified the companies who were the significant contributors to the contamination,' Praskins said.
The EPA continues to hit hard Aerojet-General Corp. The company forked over money for the Baldwin Park plant and is now fighting with the EPA over contamination in South El Monte. The company once had a plant that made light rocket fuel in that area.
"Because we do work for the Department of Defense, there is a tendency to assume it is our fault in the South El Monte area,' said Linda Cutler,an Aerojet spokeswoman. "It is fundamentally unfair.'
The Valley County treatment plant is one of four being built to clean up the contamination in the Azusa-Baldwin Park area. Construction of a fourth treatment plant is under way in Industry. That plant is expected to cost more than $20 million and will clean water for Baldwin Park, La Puente, Bassett and lower Hacienda Heights, officials said. Pollution history In 1979, dangerous chemicals were discovered in the San Gabriel Valley groundwater basin. It started in Baldwin Park with the discovery of poisonous solvents. The state's Department of Health Services shut down the drinking water wells.
The pollution resulted from years of improper chemical handling and disposal practices that began in 1940s, officials said.
Other contamination sites were discovered in South El Monte, El Monte, La Puente, Whittier Narrows and Alhambra, EPA reports state.
In 1985, the San Gabriel Valley was declared the "largest groundwater Superfund site in the United States,' according to EPA reports.
Baldwin Park's water contamination is the largest and the worst in the San Gabriel Valley. During and after World War II there were many industries using dangerous chemicals for manufacturing.
In March 2002, eight companies agreed to pay more than $200 million over the next 15 years to clean up polluted groundwater at four San Gabriel Valley locations three in Baldwin Park and one in Industry. Area of pollution The contamination covers an 8- mile-long and 1-mile-wide plume stretching from Azusa near the Foothill (210) Freeway and into the county area of Bassett and the San Gabriel River (605) Freeway, the EPA reports.
The Valley County Water District serves 60,000 customers in Baldwin Park, Azusa, Irwindale and West Covina, said Mark J. Grajeda, the district's general manager.
The plant's technology is the most current. A two-step process cleans out industrial solvents, ion exchange removes rocket fuel, and ultraviolet light and hydrogen peroxide purify the water so it is drinkable.
"This is cutting-edge technology,' Grajeda said. "We cannot sell contaminated water. That is why we developed this facility.'
From May 2003 to March, Valley County Water District was forced to shut all 10 wells due to contamination. In 2003, it bought $3.2 million worth of water 325,600 gallons from the Upper San Gabriel Municipal Water District, said Tim Jochem, the district's general manager.
The district is a wholesale water supplier.
Last week at the dedication ceremony, officials toured the grounds.
"We are taking the contamination and making it into drinkable water through science,' Dupont said. "This is a step beyond the Superfund site.'
Karen Rubin can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2109, or by e-mail at karen.rubin@sgvn.com .
www.sgvtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,205~12220~2459406,00.html#
Eight companies identified by EPA as major offenders helped fund facility
By Karen Rubin
Staff Writer
Sunday, October 10, 2004 - BALDWIN PARK -- A $37 million water-treatment plant that turns polluted groundwater into something residents can drink from the tap is set to open in January.
The plant belongs to the Valley County Water District, which provides water to Baldwin Park, Azusa, Irwindale and West Covina.
The new plant is the "Big Daddy' of the four treatment facilities because it attacks the worst portion of pollution floating in the groundwater. It also will pump the majority of its clean water through a 5-mile pipeline to residents in West Covina.
"This plant goes after the source of contamination,' said Wayne Praskins, project manager for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "The other plants cleaned less polluted groundwater. This plant will clean the most polluted groundwater in Baldwin Park.'
The treatment process is in the testing phase. Last week, officials hosted a dedication ceremony at the plant's 5120 Lante St. site in Baldwin Park.
Before the plant is up and running, it will cost $40 million to complete, officials said. The federal government contributed $13.5 million through legislation earmarked for the San Gabriel Valley. But eight companies identified by the EPA in 2002 as water polluters paid $23.5 million toward the building of this plant, officials said.
Those companies are Aerojet- General Corp., Allied Waste Co., Fairchild Holding Corp., Reinhold, Inc., Hartwell Corp., Oil & Solvent Processing, Wynn Oil Corp. and Huffy Corp.
A long fight From 1999 to 2002, these companies fought the EPA as to who polluted when. Most of the companies believed they were unfairly targeted by the EPA, said attorney Norman Dupont, who represented Reinhold during the mediation.
"Some of the chemicals found were used by dry cleaners, but not a single dry cleaner was forced to pay,' Dupont said. "The EPA looked the other way and did not want to go through the hassle of negotiations with the smaller companies.'
The EPA picks on larger companies, Dupont said, because they are more sophisticated than a mom-and-pop dry- cleaning business.
"Everyone was faced with the bleak alternative of do you continue fighting and face years of extremely expensive litigation,' he said. "We were between a rock and a hard place.'
EPA officials disagreed.
"We identified the companies who were the significant contributors to the contamination,' Praskins said.
The EPA continues to hit hard Aerojet-General Corp. The company forked over money for the Baldwin Park plant and is now fighting with the EPA over contamination in South El Monte. The company once had a plant that made light rocket fuel in that area.
"Because we do work for the Department of Defense, there is a tendency to assume it is our fault in the South El Monte area,' said Linda Cutler,an Aerojet spokeswoman. "It is fundamentally unfair.'
The Valley County treatment plant is one of four being built to clean up the contamination in the Azusa-Baldwin Park area. Construction of a fourth treatment plant is under way in Industry. That plant is expected to cost more than $20 million and will clean water for Baldwin Park, La Puente, Bassett and lower Hacienda Heights, officials said. Pollution history In 1979, dangerous chemicals were discovered in the San Gabriel Valley groundwater basin. It started in Baldwin Park with the discovery of poisonous solvents. The state's Department of Health Services shut down the drinking water wells.
The pollution resulted from years of improper chemical handling and disposal practices that began in 1940s, officials said.
Other contamination sites were discovered in South El Monte, El Monte, La Puente, Whittier Narrows and Alhambra, EPA reports state.
In 1985, the San Gabriel Valley was declared the "largest groundwater Superfund site in the United States,' according to EPA reports.
Baldwin Park's water contamination is the largest and the worst in the San Gabriel Valley. During and after World War II there were many industries using dangerous chemicals for manufacturing.
In March 2002, eight companies agreed to pay more than $200 million over the next 15 years to clean up polluted groundwater at four San Gabriel Valley locations three in Baldwin Park and one in Industry. Area of pollution The contamination covers an 8- mile-long and 1-mile-wide plume stretching from Azusa near the Foothill (210) Freeway and into the county area of Bassett and the San Gabriel River (605) Freeway, the EPA reports.
The Valley County Water District serves 60,000 customers in Baldwin Park, Azusa, Irwindale and West Covina, said Mark J. Grajeda, the district's general manager.
The plant's technology is the most current. A two-step process cleans out industrial solvents, ion exchange removes rocket fuel, and ultraviolet light and hydrogen peroxide purify the water so it is drinkable.
"This is cutting-edge technology,' Grajeda said. "We cannot sell contaminated water. That is why we developed this facility.'
From May 2003 to March, Valley County Water District was forced to shut all 10 wells due to contamination. In 2003, it bought $3.2 million worth of water 325,600 gallons from the Upper San Gabriel Municipal Water District, said Tim Jochem, the district's general manager.
The district is a wholesale water supplier.
Last week at the dedication ceremony, officials toured the grounds.
"We are taking the contamination and making it into drinkable water through science,' Dupont said. "This is a step beyond the Superfund site.'
Karen Rubin can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2109, or by e-mail at karen.rubin@sgvn.com .
www.sgvtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,205~12220~2459406,00.html#