Gilroy
– The Olin Corp.’s resistance to further testing of groundwater
perchlorate flowing north of the contaminated site in Morgan Hill
was met harshly this week by the city.
Gilroy – The Olin Corp.’s resistance to further testing of groundwater perchlorate flowing north of the contaminated site in Morgan Hill was met harshly this week by the city.
In a letter to the state agency overseeing the cleanup operation, Morgan Hill attorneys accused Olin of stalling, calling the company’s petition an attempt to “shelve any work they should be doing.”
The dispute is over the northeast plume flowing from Olin’s former road-flare factory on Tennant Avenue. Olin claims it’s not responsible for that contamination.
Last year, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board ordered Olin to retest the plume with a new forensic testing method. Last week, Olin petitioned the Control Board to show why the company needs to conduct more tests.
That hearing will take place by March.
In the meantime, the National Academy of Sciences announced that it will release its recommendation for the maximum acceptable contamination level in drinking water Jan. 11. The report is expected to influence California’s Department of Health Services, which is in the process of determining it own maximum contamination level.
The goal is now six perchlorate parts per billion, and Olin currently supplies drinking water to all local residents whose water is contaminated above that level.
If the NAS decides on a number higher than six, and that number is adopted by the state DHS, Olin’s responsibilities will be vastly reduced.
On Tuesday, U.S. Congressman Richard Pombo reintroduced a bill he authored last year to provide an additional $25 million in federal funds to help clean South County’s groundwater.
And in late January, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein will introduce legislation to authorize $200 million to identify and cleanup perchlorate nationally and establish a federal law holding contaminators responsible for cleanup, among other things.
Wednesday, San Martin resident Sylvia Hamilton, who is chairwoman of the Perchlorate Community Advisory Group, praised Feinstein’s efforts.
“From the beginning, her office was one of the first to call us,” Hamilton said. “Legislation is important because this is not just a San Martin or a Morgan Hill issue.”
Feinstein’s proposed legislation is in part a response to a study last year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration which found perchlorate in lettuce and milk samples taken in 15 states.
Santa Clara County Agriculture Commissioner Greg Van Wassenhove said Wednesday that a national approach is critical to understanding perchlorate’s impact on the food supply.
“We are in favor of a comprehensive approach to risk assessment because agriculture will be affected by the perception that food may be at risk,” Van Wassenhove said. “As long as there is that perception, we need to pursue scientific evidence that proves otherwise.”
