Jason Pesick San Bernardino Sun Staff Writer Article Launched 10/13/2006
The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board today will consider allowing a retired state water official to determine whether to force three corporations to clean up perchlorate contamination in Rialto.
The action would represent another step in the process to clean up the water contamination that was first discovered in 1997.
"I think they have to take some strong action," said state Sen. Nell Soto, D-Ontario, chairwoman of the Senate Select Committee on Perchlorate Contamination.
Perchlorate is a chemical used in the production of products such as fireworks and rocket fuel and can interfere with the functioning of the thyroid gland.
The resolution up for consideration would delegate the water board's authority to an independent hearing officer to issue what are known as cleanup and abatement orders that force polluters to clean up contamination they caused.
The three corporations that would face cleanup orders are Black & Decker Corp., Goodrich Corp. and the fireworks company Pyro Spectacular. In 2003, the board issued a similar order against San Bernardino County for perchlorate flowing from its property on Rialto's north side.
The hearing officer would be Walt Pettit,
who was the executive director of the state Water Resources Control Board until 2000.
The move to delegate authority to Pettit was the result of allegations made by Emhart Industries, owned by Black & Decker, that the regional board is biased, according to Kurt Berchtold, the board's assistant executive officer.
He said Emhart claimed that because the board's staff, which investigates allegations against the corporations, has been communicating with board members for years on the issue of perchlorate contamination, the board members themselves are compromised.
"They're just using bogus tactics to hinder the process," Paul Van Dyke, Soto's chief of staff, said about Emhart.
Soto said the board has been too passive in its efforts to clean up the contamination. She said she is not thrilled the board is delegating its authority to Pettit, but also said, "I think anything they do is better than what's going on now."
BS Ranch Perspective:
It sounds like they are going after the businesses that are not doing business in Rialto, BF Goodrich/Good Year is not doing any more business in Rialto any more, neither is Black and Decker that know of, but then I am in the little picture of the whole thing. Sure they send out this DVD of them complaining about the Contaminant being in the soil and they have talked a little about how to get it out of the soil, however not that much, as if the Filter is a Non Patented Filterization that they are not allowed to talk about just yet, because they are just getting them on line, and the Patent is pending!
I am just a concerned Citizen that wants clean clear water when I turn on the faucet, to drink some water. I don't trust 8 million parts per gallon either, I am wanting it to be 1 billion or 8 trillion parts per quart!! that is what I consider to be safe!! Not the EPA's version of what they consider to be a safe drinking water. I think that Redlands has the right Idea when it comes to Drinking water. Re-Drill Wells and find wells that don't have Perchclorate and then pipe it to reservoirs in the city for storage!! Great Idea!!
BS Ranch
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