Buck Wargo and Paul Clinton
BURBANK -- As state and federal water regulators begin drafting safety
standards for a cancer-causing form of chromium found in Burbank wells,
city officials are reassuring residents that it's still safe to drink the
water.
City water officials have long known about the presence of hexavalent
chromium, also known as chromium 6, in city wells. However, by the time
water reaches Burbank businesses and homes it has been diluted enough to
meet health standards, Public Service Department Assistant Manager Fred
Lantz said.
"We're not feeling like its an imminent concern," Lantz said. "If we
felt there was a concern, we certainly would be on top of that."
Lantz said the city has received a handful of calls in response to a
Los Angeles Times article, published Aug. 20, reporting that state
regulators were beginning the process of drafting the standards for
chromium 6.
Half of the more than 250 companies targeted in a state investigation
for sources of chromium in the 112,000 acre-San Fernando Basin aquifer
are based in the Burbank-Glendale area, according to the head of a
chromium task force. The investigation is being spearheaded by the
Regional Water Quality Control Board.
The Times reported that the state's calls for slashing acceptable
levels of the suspected cancer-causing agent have gone unheeded despite
fears that it is turning up in greater quantifies in wells, particularly
in the San Fernando Valley.
Mel Blevins, a state water master and head of a regional chromium task
force, said Burbank and Glendale's large manufacturing base contributed
to the high levels of chromium contamination. A list of 250 companies in
the region was narrowed from more than 800 to 900 firms screened for
potential sources of chromium, he said.
The state board is planning further investigation at the sites to
determine responsibility for contamination. Those companies are expected
to include aerospace firms, circuit board makers, plating companies and
auto repair shops.
Blevins said the companies include firms that are responsible for the
cleaning up of industrial solvents in ground water as part of a federal
Superfund action. Some 48 companies paid millions for the cleanup. They
could be hit again with a lawsuit ordering further remediation.
"They thought they were off the hook, but they can end up paying more
dollars if it is needed to clean up the chromium," Blevins said.
Hexavalent chromium, a manufacturing byproduct, is a suspected
carcinogen.
State standards allow 50 parts per billion of chromium in drinking
water, although the state Office of Environmental Health Hazard
Assessment has recommended a standard of 2.5 parts per billion.
In Burbank, at least one well registered a reading of 110 parts per
billion. But Lantz said the well water is blended with water the city
imports from the Metropolitan Water District, reducing the concentration.
"What goes to the customer is a compost," Lantz said. "What you're
doing is you're averaging down those numbers."
The breakdown of chromium 6 in Burbank wells ranges between less than
1 part per billion to as high as 26 parts per billion, according to the
city's annual water quality report.
