Q: How can private well owners who live outside the study
area
– such as near the City of Morgan Hill’s just-closed wells, or
in Gilroy south of the plume – arrange for well testing or free
bottled water?
Q: How can private well owners who live outside the study area – such as near the City of Morgan Hill’s just-closed wells, or in Gilroy south of the plume – arrange for well testing or free bottled water?
A: Mike DiMarco, spokesman for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, responds: “If you live outside the water district study area, well-sampling is being provided to some residents – based on a set of scientific criteria, including location of the well, existing and new well-testing results coming back from that specific area and other parameters. Well-sampling outside of the study area boundaries is being conducted by Olin Corp., in consultation with the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. To inquire about testing and bottled water, residents living outside the study area can contact Olin Corp. at (800) 295-6141.”
The study area is east of Monterey Road, south of Tennant Avenue, west of Center Avenue and north of Masten Avenue. The Santa Clara Valley Water District is handling requests from well owners within these boundaries. These residents should call (888) HEY-NOAH (439-6624) to request well-sampling and bottled water.
Q. The EPA is considering advising a maximum level of perchlorate of 1 part per billion (ppb). How could this be enforced if current tests can detect perchlorate at levels of 4 ppb or higher?
A. DiMarco said that just like in the computer industry, perchlorate testing technology is rapidly advancing. He expects that perchlorate levels as low as 1 ppb will be detectable in the near future.
Q. Is it safe to eat fruits and vegetables that have been washed in perchlorate-contaminated water?
A. Dr. Martin Fenstersheib, Santa Clara County health officer, said that if the water is contaminated there is only the slightest chance of ingesting perchlorate. The levels are fairly low so it would be hardly any problem. He does recommend washing and drying fruits and vegetables. Perchlorate is a salt and, if left to dry, could leave a small residue.
Q. Have any deaths ever legally been tied to perchlorate?
A. According to Kevin Mayer, regional perchlorate coordinator for the EPA, no deaths have been conclusively tied to perchlorate legally or scientifically.
The only deaths which might be tied to perchlorate of which Mayer is aware were reported in medical literature in the 1960s. A few people died of aplastic anemia; they were taking “substantial” amounts of potassium perchlorate pharmaceutically to treat hyperthyroidism, or Grave’s disease.
“They were taking hundreds of milligrams per day, so that’s hundreds of thousands of parts per billion,” Mayer said. “We weren’t able to sort out from the literature whether it was perchlorate or something else that caused their deaths.”
Q. How can I learn about perchlorate-related bills in the state legislature?
A. Visit www.senate.ca.gov and click on “Legislation” on the left side of the screen. At “Bill Information,” scroll down and enter “perchlorate” in the keyword field. A list of pending legislation will appear. Click on the bill you are interested in. You will be able to review the bill’s status, history and read the entire text. To subscribe to free, automatic updates as the bill continues through the legislative process, click on “subscribe” at the left of screen.
Q. How can I track Sen. Barbara Boxer’s new perchlorate bill?
A. Visit www.senate.gov and click on the “Legislation & Records” button at the bottom of the screen. Enter “perchlorate” in the keyword field. Boxer’s bill, S 502 IS, will appear, along with any other Senate bills having to do with perchlorate. You will be able to read the entire text of the bill and review its summary and status file.
