Drinking Water

Heading to Griffith Park through an equestrian tunnel under the Ventura (134) Freeway, horse riders emerge to see an unusual sight: huge yellow earth movers chomping into 15 acres of dirt between the freeway and the park. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is deep into building underground reservoirs that will hold 110 million gallons of water and help eliminate the city’s reliance on open-air reservoirs, including Silver Lake. When complete, the two side-by-side Headworks reservoirs will be hidden beneath an open-space recreation area along Forest Lawn Drive near the intersection with Zoo Drive.

Paul Clinton CIVIC CENTER -- A month after hearing testimony about the health dangers of chromium 6, four state lawmakers have asked the state's top health agency to take a more active role in informing the public about the carcinogen. During a Tuesday morning news conference at City Hall, legislators called on the Department of Health Services to adopt an "action level" plan for the information campaign about chromium 6, also known as hexavalent chromium.

Adam Schiff Two months ago, the Los Angeles Times reported that a suspected cancer-causing chemical called chromium 6 had been detected in ground water wells in the San Fernando Valley. The disclosure raised serious public health concerns because municipal water agencies pump out the ground water, treat it and blend it with our drinking water. Chromium is used in industrial manufacturing, and its toxic version, chromium 6, was at the center of the movie "Erin Brockovich" focusing on a legal investigator uncovering the causes of illnesses that had stricken many people in a California town.

Buck Wargo and Paul Clinton BURBANK -- State Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) wants to talk about chromium in the ground water. Schiff, who is pushing state lawmakers to fast track a study on the effects of chromium 6 in the drinking water of Burbank and neighboring communities, said Thursday he plans to hold a public hearing on the issue in Burbank in October. On Friday, a bill introduced by Schiff two days earlier passed the Legislature that would compel the State Department of Public Health to complete a study by January 2002 to determine whether levels of chromium in drinking water taken from the San Fernando Basin aquifer should be reduced.

Buck Wargo BURBANK -- Chromium 6 may have been in the ground for decades but has only recently found its way into the drinking water supply, according to the state official overseeing an investigation of how the pollutant got there. No chromium 6 was found in the ground water when a federal Superfund investigation began in the mid-1980s, said Dixon Oriola, a senior engineering geologist at the Regional Water Quality Control Board, which is investigating the source of the contamination.

Tim Willert A toxicologist who resigned under protest from a blue-ribbon panel charged with determining the dangers of chromium 6 in drinking water, including Burbank's, testified last week the panel's report should not be used as a basis for establishing public-health standards. Joseph Froines, a professor of toxicology for the UCLA School of Public Health, and the first scientist named to the panel, told a hearing of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee that the state- sponsored study was too limited in its scope and depth and didn't acknowledge the uncertainties of its research.

Paul Clinton CIVIC CENTER -- As Burbank Water and Power officials work to complete a four-week program of testing bottled drinking water, some City Council members are defending the decision while others say the move is out of line. On Oct. 24, the council approved a motion directing city employees to buy bottled water from supermarkets and other water dispensers for testing. The federal Food and Drug Administration regulates water products bottled in one state and delivered to others.

Gretchen Hoffman and Laura Sturza Gov. Gray Davis has vetoed a bill by state Assemblyman Dario Frommer (D-Burbank) that would have given residents more information about contaminants in their drinking water. Burbank already issues monthly reports on water quality, meeting or exceeding state and federal requirements. In addition, the added report relies on goals that "are not scientifically based, nor are they necessarily achievable -- they are just good goals," Burbank Water and Power General Manager Ron Davis said.

Laura Sturza BURBANK -- The Environmental Protection Agency has fined Lockheed Martin Corp. $1.3 million for failing to operate ground water cleanup at full capacity. The agency's findings, announced Thursday, will not affect the quality of Burbank's drinking water, said Fred Lantz, assistant general manager of Burbank Water and Power. Lockheed officials agreed. "The public should be reassured that this is not a water quality issue," Lockheed spokeswoman Gail Rymer said.

Laura Sturza BURBANK -- Lockheed Martin Corp. will pay $1.25 million to settle a lawsuit with 40 residents who allege the company's chemical runoff contaminated Burbank water, causing illness, death and property damage. While the firm said it was able to "scientifically prove that we didn't harm anyone," Lockheed spokeswoman Gail Rymer said solvents did enter the ground water as the result of 60 years of operations. But she said "there is no cause and effect."

It wasn't enough that Roy Wiegand endured a climb in altitude of almost 12,000 feet on a grueling 100-mile road run from the San Buenaventura Mission in Ventura to Mt. Pinos in the Los Padres National Forest. But he's taking on a second tough challenge, embarking on a trek along the same rout, this time by way of bicycle. Some might call the 47-year-old crazy. Some might say that he is a glutton for punishment. But the reason why Wiegand put his body through 200 miles of athletic torture is not for some personal glory or ultimate fitness challenge.

Heading to Griffith Park through an equestrian tunnel under the Ventura (134) Freeway, horse riders emerge to see an unusual sight: huge yellow earth movers chomping into 15 acres of dirt between the freeway and the park. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is deep into building underground reservoirs that will hold 110 million gallons of water and help eliminate the city’s reliance on open-air reservoirs, including Silver Lake. When complete, the two side-by-side Headworks reservoirs will be hidden beneath an open-space recreation area along Forest Lawn Drive near the intersection with Zoo Drive.

Liam Taylor surveyed a large pile of conked-out computers, televisions and cell phones like a fisherman admiring his catch. As the founding president of Imagine Green Eco Club, he spent weeks imploring the community to drop off unused or spent appliances at the club’s inaugural e-waste collection and recycling event Saturday at Luther Burbank Middle School. The goal, he said, was to prevent toxic and hazardous materials from clogging landfills and polluting the environment.

Tim Willert A toxicologist who resigned under protest from a blue-ribbon panel charged with determining the dangers of chromium 6 in drinking water, including Burbank's, testified last week the panel's report should not be used as a basis for establishing public-health standards. Joseph Froines, a professor of toxicology for the UCLA School of Public Health, and the first scientist named to the panel, told a hearing of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee that the state- sponsored study was too limited in its scope and depth and didn't acknowledge the uncertainties of its research.

Gretchen Hoffman and Laura Sturza Gov. Gray Davis has vetoed a bill by state Assemblyman Dario Frommer (D-Burbank) that would have given residents more information about contaminants in their drinking water. Burbank already issues monthly reports on water quality, meeting or exceeding state and federal requirements. In addition, the added report relies on goals that "are not scientifically based, nor are they necessarily achievable -- they are just good goals," Burbank Water and Power General Manager Ron Davis said.

Laura Sturza BURBANK -- The Environmental Protection Agency has fined Lockheed Martin Corp. $1.3 million for failing to operate ground water cleanup at full capacity. The agency's findings, announced Thursday, will not affect the quality of Burbank's drinking water, said Fred Lantz, assistant general manager of Burbank Water and Power. Lockheed officials agreed. "The public should be reassured that this is not a water quality issue," Lockheed spokeswoman Gail Rymer said.

Laura Sturza BURBANK -- Lockheed Martin Corp. will pay $1.25 million to settle a lawsuit with 40 residents who allege the company's chemical runoff contaminated Burbank water, causing illness, death and property damage. While the firm said it was able to "scientifically prove that we didn't harm anyone," Lockheed spokeswoman Gail Rymer said solvents did enter the ground water as the result of 60 years of operations. But she said "there is no cause and effect."

Karen S. Kim BURBANK -- Bottled water sold in local markets has been ruled safe for drinking, following a four-week, $36,000 analysis of samples of various shelf brands and drinking water vendors, officials from Burbank Water & Power said. "At least of the snapshot we saw, bottled water is another source of drinking water that met the state standards, just like tap water," said Fred Lantz, assistant general manager of BWP. Between Nov. 6 and Nov. 28, the BWP collected samples from various grocery stores of six bottled water brands: Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water, Palomar Mountain Spring Water, Sparkletts, Aquafina, Vons and Ralphs.