Morgan Hill
– The company responsible for polluting groundwater from Morgan
Hill to north Gilroy no longer must provide bottled water to some
well owners whose water shows low contamination levels, according
to a ruling by the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Morgan Hill – The company responsible for polluting groundwater from Morgan Hill to north Gilroy no longer must provide bottled water to some well owners whose water shows low contamination levels, according to a ruling by the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Olin Corp., had asked the board to allow the firm to discontinue delivery of free bottled water to residents of 145 private wells that have been tested and have levels below 4 parts per billion for four consecutive quarters.
Perchlorate was discovered in August 2000 on the Tennant/Railroad Avenue site of a former Olin Corp./Standard Fusee plant where safety flares were manufactured for 40 years. Perchlorate is used to enhance the effectiveness of rocket fuel and flares. The chemical leached into the groundwater and by January 2003 was found to have traveled through San Martin and into north Gilroy.
Roger W. Briggs, executive officer of the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, the lead agency on the South Valley perchlorate cleanup, said the request was reasonable.
“Based upon my review, these 145 wells meet the criteria for cessation of uninterrupted water service,” Briggs said in a letter to Olin dated Sept. 21.
The 145 wells must continue to be tested semi-annually during the next three years, then annually for two more years. If there is no sign of perchlorate, then Olin can stop testing. If the chemical is detected again, Olin must resume the alternative water supply.
The company, however, continues to deny that is responsible for perchlorate contamination north of Tennant because the groundwater has flowed southeast since 1914, before its plant opened. The city, regional water board and Santa Clara Valley Water District met with Olin representatives Tuesday to discuss the Olin groundwater assessment report and the possibility that a pathway from the Olin site on Tennant Avenue north to the Nordstrom, Condit and Dunne Avenue wells could exist.
Good news for the city came earlier this week when the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill authorizing $25 million to help clean perchlorate contamination. The bill, HR 4459, was sponsored by Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, who represents Morgan Hill and San Martin. It now goes to the Senate and, if passed, on too the president’s desk. If he signs it, the bill will become law.
