Talk about fireworks. The recent discovery that perchlorate, a
chemical used in the manufacture of road flares, rocket and missile
fuel, air bags and fireworks, has seeped into the groundwater used
by hundreds of private South County wells has caused some tempers
to explode.
Talk about fireworks. The recent discovery that perchlorate, a chemical used in the manufacture of road flares, rocket and missile fuel, air bags and fireworks, has seeped into the groundwater used by hundreds of private South County wells has caused some tempers to explode.
It’s understandable. It’s frightening to learn that your drinking water might be contaminated by a chemical that could cause serious thyroid problems, including tumors.
When you also consider that the perchlorate pollution – traced to the former Olin Company road flare manufacturing facility at the northeast corner of Tennant and Railroad avenues in Morgan Hill – has been known since at least April 2002, private well owners are quite rightly frustrated.
But despite what appears to be a lack of foresight by Santa Clara Valley Water District officials when the Olin site contamination became known, well owners should not panic.
There’s a flood of unanswered questions like:
• What is a safe level of perchlorate? (The answer isn’t clear at all.)
• Is one test for perchlorate reliable, or do multiple well tests need to be performed?
• How and when will the contamination be removed?
• Who will pay for the clean-up?
Santa Clara Valley Water District must take the proverbial bull by the horns. South Valley residents – whether they own a private well or not – need immediate, trustworthy answers which the water district should provide.
Let’s hope the Llagas Creek flood control project mindset and timetable don’t take over. This problem should be handled expeditiously and with a sense of urgency.
The water district has taken a few important first steps – establishing a hotline that private well owners in the affected area – bounded by Tennant Avenue to the north, Masten Avenue to the south, Center Avenue to the east and Monterey Road to the west – can call to request well testing and offering free bottled water to worried well owners.
But that’s not enough. Water district officials must keep this situation at the top of their to-do list, even after the headlines have faded. Clean-up must begin immediately and continue unabated until it is complete, whether or not reporters are calling, even if news cameras aren’t watching every move.
As soon as the immediate emergency – perchlorate removal – is under control, the district should be all over Tennessee-based Olin Corp. like a deployed air bag to collect reimbursement for the clean-up costs. Taxpayers should not be saddled with the double burden of enduring polluted water thanks to Olin, and then having to foot the bill for cleaning up the company’s mess.
With this perchlorate contamination problem, water district officials have an opportunity. They can handle it capably and efficiently, or bungle it like they have the Llagas Creek Flood Control Project. For the sake of South Valley citizens’ health, as well our trust in the competence of the water district, let’s hope the water district shines like a road flare.
For more information on perchlorate, visit the water district’s Web site at www.valleywater.org. To schedule a well test, call the district’s perchlorate hotline at 265-2607, ext. 2649.
