Against a backdrop of news that the perchlorate plume has spread
further than originally thought and that one-third of San
Martin-area wells tested so far have dangerous levels of the
chemical, Santa Clara Valley Water District held a public forum on
the issue Wednesday night.
Against a backdrop of news that the perchlorate plume has spread further than originally thought and that one-third of San Martin-area wells tested so far have dangerous levels of the chemical, Santa Clara Valley Water District held a public forum on the issue Wednesday night.
Not surprisingly, an overflow crowd of more than 800 people packed San Martin- Gwinn Elementary School to vent, ask questions and hopefully find reassurance. News that perchlorate, a chemical used in the manufacture of road flares, automobile air bags, fireworks and rocket and missile fuel – has leached into the ground water south of Morgan Hill, has understandably unsettled residents, who worry about possible health effects – especially thyroid function problems and thyroid tumors – from exposure to the chemical.
It was a wise – and brave – decision to hold that meeting, and we commend the water district for taking the step. All the stakeholders – except Olin Corp., whose former road flare manufacturing facility at Tennant and Railroad avenues in Morgan Hill is clearly the cause of the perchlorate contamination, and who was asked not to send representatives – were present. Water district, county health, county agriculture, regional water quality and federal EPA officials tried to answer questions for the hundreds of residents. Plenty of questions went unanswered, but at least the community took an important first step in the problem-solving and learning process.
The best news is that the water district will hold another public meeting on the perchlorate contamination in the near future – mid-April perhaps. We believe a meeting every five weeks through the summer months on a date specified now would be a good idea. The water district should take the lead on this with assistance from County Supervisor Don Gage.
This frightening issue deserves nothing less than full attention from public officials.
We were less than pleased to learn that a lawyer – touting plans to file a class-action lawsuit against Olin – was busy distributing letters and cards to worried residents. So far, Tennessee-based Olin has behaved in a responsible manner – owning up to its role in the well contamination, paying for bottled water and well testing – and it’s important to remember that there will be no one to turn to for reimbursement of cleanup costs if the company is hounded into bankruptcy.
In the meantime, the water district needs to correct a mistake: It needs to immediately reopen the perchlorate hotline, which it established shortly after the perchlorate news broke. The hotline was closed recently – and too soon. Residents in the perchlorate plume zone need an easy, red-tape-free means to contact the water district, and the perchlorate hotline accomplished that.
District officials also need to be liberal in agreeing to test wells outside the suspected perchlorate plume zone. There have been stories that some requests to test wells near the plume have been denied. The well testing is not costing the water district a penny – Olin is picking up the tab. With news that the perchlorate has spread much farther than originally thought, district officials should err on the side of too many tests when reviewing well test requests.
Finally, a reminder for San Martin-area residents: please don’t panic. Fear and worry are understandable, but panic will not help the situation. It won’t speed cleanup, which is the goal everyone – county supervisors, water district officials, the EPA, residents and Olin Corp. – should be working together to achieve.
